Standing on the Edge of Someday
by Angell4NEPatriots
Summary: Sam is attending her first year of college out in LA. What happens when Sam invites Brooke to "Parents Weekend" but fails to mention that Julian, whom Brooke hasn't seen or spoken to in over two years, will also be joining them? Brulian with a bit of Sam
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This idea popped into my head after I finished the first part of Tip of My Tongue. (For those of who read that you will be happy to know I am working on a second part told from Julian's POV. Thank you for all of your lovely reviews and interest for more of that story.) Anyway, I kind of feel this was rushed even though I have been working on it for several weeks now. I hope when you read this you will not feel the same. If you do feel that way please let me know and I can only promise to make sure that all future chapters will not have that same feeling. I am anxious to post this so I can move on and tell the rest of the story but that doesn't stop me from questioning the quality of my work. I hope this is just me being paranoid, lol. I supposed I have stalled enough…I hope you enjoy this!!! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH, though there are times I wish I did. :)**

**Chapter One: Parents Weekend**

Brooke had spent the afternoon catching up with her daughter, who had spent the past month attending college over two thousand miles away from their home in North Carolina. The two women were settled on the red couch Sam had picked out as one of her high school graduation presents, when a knock on the door interrupted their present girl talk about a guy Sam had recently met in one of her classes. Brooke was anxious to hear all the details based on the glimmer in her daughters eyes at the mere mention of someone special in her life.

Sam jumped up and made a quick exit into her bedroom as she asked "would you mind getting that mom? I have to grab my purse in the bedroom and then we can leave."

"Sure," Brooke crossed the room and opened the front door and resisted the urge to slam it immediately shut upon discovering who Sam's visitor was. She gripped the door frame hard as she stared at her ex-boyfriend, who was looking as gorgeous as ever, damn him! A dozen emotions instantly assaulted her but she ignored every single one because to do otherwise would mean admitting to how much seeing him again disturbed her. After what seemed like the longest stretch of silence ever Brooke finally asked quietly, "Julian what are you doing here?"

"I am here for the official tour of the school, followed by dinner."

"So you knew about this?" She accused.

He shrugged. "It was important to her."

Brooke turned around not bothering to invite him inside as she yelled, "Samantha Nicole Walker Davis!"

Sam entered the room mumbling, "could have been Baker."

Brooke's eyes narrowed at her comment. "What was that?" She asked certain she couldn't have heard her daughter correctly.

"Nothing," Sam answered, though her eyes caught Julian's, who now stood behind Brooke. He apparently heard her quite clearly because he had a smirk on his face and was shaking his head at her. "Carry on, I believe you were about to lecture me."

"How could you ambush me like this?" She demanded in total frustration with the young girl's attitude.

"What is the big deal? So he is your ex. Same as Lucas, yet you have no problem hanging out with him. Why can't you spend the weekend with Julian, hanging out with me?"

"It is not that simple." Brooke replied.

"No because you're making it complicated. You both claim to be over one another so why don't you prove it. You are both important to me and it is Parents Weekend. You are my mom and Julian is the closest thing I have ever had to a father so I thought the two of you could get over yourselves for two days and spend the weekend with me. My bad for mistaking the two of you for being actual adults." Sam shouted before storming passed the two of them and out the front door leaving Brooke and Julian staring at one another awkwardly and wondering how things could have escalated so quickly in just a few minutes time.

"I will go after her." Julian offered.

"No, let me. I am the one she is pissed off at anyway." She sighed as she walked out of the apartment in search of her daughter. She was grateful for the excuse to put some distance between them. She hadn't realized how small Sam's apartment was until he had showed up.

Julian took the time to process his thoughts. Even though he had known Brook was going to be here nothing could have prepared him for the emotions that surged through him when his eyes caught first sight of her. He had forgotten how stunning she was, so much so that she literally took his breath away. He knew Sam hadn't informed her of his joining them even before she asked the question. Her gorgeous face and wonderfully expressive hazel eyes betrayed her shock. He had to admit that Sam should have warned her. Though he was not sure how much that would have helped since he had advance knowledge of the meeting and yet that failed to give any advantage when he was actually face to face with the woman who shattered his heart.

He had to admit her reaction had somewhat surprised him. While he hadn't exactly been expecting a friendly reunion, he hadn't exactly anticipated the chilly reception Brooke had greeted him with. He was the one who had forfeited his pride and risked his heart over and over again for her only to be rejected every single time. If anyone had the right to be angry or whatever the hell she was, it was him.

Julian got no further in his thoughts as he heard the door open behind him and he turned expecting to see both his girls coming through the entrance, no they were not his, he corrected silently. One hadn't been for a long time now, by her choice, he reminded himself, furious with his mental slip.

"No luck?" He surmised.

Brooke shook her head. "There wasn't any sign of her by the time I made it down to the lobby. I would have gone looking for her but I don't know much about her life here. That is what this weekend was all about."

"Would you like me to help you look for her? I know of a couple of places where she might be since I gave her a few ideas of where to hang out when she first arrived."

"Thanks but I think I should let her have her space. She isn't a troubled teen anymore." Brooke replied.

Her words brought them both back to the night Samantha had gone missing after Sam discovered the terrifying fact that her careless words had been the trigger for a violent attack on Brooke at her boutique late one night. Brooke had been frantically looking for her all over town and had run into Julian at the diner. When she had asked if he was looking for Sam as well he had responded that he wasn't that guy, he was just getting some coffee. But then the waitress had informed her that he had just been in inquiring the same thing she had. Brooke had gone after him and had found him walking down the street tossing the full coffee cup away and that was the moment that Brooke began to look at him as something other than a threat to two of her best friend's happiness.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. How many times had he wondered about her in the past two and a half years and now that he finally had the chance to talk with her he just felt the need to put distance between them because he was afraid of what would come out of his mouth. He knew if he dared to ask they would be uncomfortable questions and he wasn't certain he was willing to hear her answers.

Julian was the first to break the silence as he said, "I guess I should be going then. Tell Sam I will call her later on. It was good seeing you. Take care of yourself Brooke." He replied casually as he made his way toward the door.

Seeing him was stirring up all the emotions she had struggled to keep locked inside her for so long. With the emotions warring for some kind of release, Brooke chose to embrace the emotion that would protect her the most, resentment. She should have let him leave but she for some reason she couldn't resist saying out loud "I really should not have been surprised about today. I should have expected her to pull something like this. She always has been our biggest cheerleader!"

Julian turned back around to face her. "She is right you know. Her last name could have been Baker. Same as your could have been." He replied more than ready to meet the challenge Brooke had thrown out to him.

"Is that what you have been telling her?"

"I didn't have to. She is smart enough to figure it out on her own."

"Yeah well she doesn't know the whole story now, does she?"

"If she does, she didn't hear it from me." That was one thing Julian was very careful about. He would never put Sam in between whatever was or wasn't going on with Brooke. It would not have been fair, just as it wasn't fair when Brooke had used Sam as an excuse to keep him at a distance. "But she probably has an idea that you threw it all away because you were so stubborn and too scared."

"She probably also has an idea that you were arrogant and impatient wanting all or nothing after only three months of dating!" Brooke charged.

"And that is a bad thing? You are the one who said you couldn't do just fun. When I got serious about you, you said I thought we were just having fun. You said it always sucks to be the footnote in someone else's story and yet when I gave you the chance to write your own, you hid behind everything you could think of, Sam, Peyton, Lucas."

"Don't you dare! You pushed Lucas between us! You were looking for evidence of my love for him where none existed. You let your past history influence what could have been."

"No more than you did!" He fired back.

Brooke was a bit shocked at his heated response and was at a momentary loss for words. In all of their time together, he had never once really even raised his voice to her, not in their worst moments, when there was so much pain between them and all she could do was hurt him to protect herself. She wanted to argue against his words but how could she when even she recognized them as truth.

Julian took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself before their discussion intensified further. None of it mattered anymore anyway. The fact that neither one had made any effort to contact the other proved that much as far as he was concerned. Nothing could be gained by discussing past events. "As I said, I think it is best if I go now."

This time Brooke made no effort to detain him, silently agreeing with him. She watched his retreating back and was reminded of a couple other significant times she had watched him walk out of her life. When he shut the door quietly behind him Brooke sank down on the red sofa and buried her head in her hands, promising herself she would sort through this mess in a few minutes.

TBC????

**A/N 2: So do you think this is worth continuing? I hope so because I have a few ideas already started. However I would love to hear your thoughts on this…good or bad! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me. :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: First of all, words cannot say how blown away I was by everyone's response to this story!!! It was incredible and to say that it meant a lot to me is a complete understatement!!! There are no words to express what I felt by all of your support and encouragement! While that is such a blessing to me, I also think it is a large part of the apprehension I feel for posting this chapter. I don't want to compromise the quality you are used to from me, nor do I want to fail in meeting anyone expectations they may have for this story! With that being said, I must admit this was extremely difficult for me to write because I am having so much trouble getting inside Brooke's head due to my own feelings of disappointment for the choice she made in the show (episode 6.19). While a part of me understands, another part of me is still struggling. (Yes, I know I get way too invested in fictional TV characters, LOL) I am not entirely pleased with this chapter but it is absolutely imperative before moving on to the next. The good news is that one as well as the one following it are almost finished, which means you will not have to wait quite so long for the next post, providing there is still interest. The bad news is this update contains no dialogue sine it focuses entirely on Brooke's thoughts. This is probably the only one that will be this way; the remaining will contain a good balance of both dialogue and thoughts. **

**Second of all, I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Clarissa aka Infinite Lullaby, who took time from her own incredible writing to look this over and convinced me it wasn't as horrible as I thought. Actually she left me in awe with her initial reaction to this chapter. She is a huge reason why I decided to FINALLY post this. The other reason is I am impatient to get the next chapters out! LOL Seriously though, I wish I knew of another way to express my gratitude with more than a simple "thank you" but that will have to do for now! Thank you a thousand times over!!!**

**Sorry about the long note, I will let you get on with the story now. Thank you in advance for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliate with OTH. All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.**

Chapter 2: Facing Up

Sitting in the silence of Sam's apartment Brooke was left with nothing but the company of her thoughts. She should be grateful for the solitude so she could process what had actually just happened but at that moment she hated the silence. All it served to remind her was just how alone she was, and had been since Sam had left for college. Since she had been gone Brooke had thrown herself into her work, so much so that Clothes Over Bros was already ahead of schedule with the launch of her new line next spring. She supposed she could bury herself in her work, use the turmoil in her mind as an outlet but that would only postpone the inevitable. Eventually she would have to deal with things. She couldn't keep running or hiding, it was all bound to catch up with her. Correction, it had FINALLY caught up with her. She just had not anticipated it to happen in Los Angeles when she was thousands of miles away from her support system, if she needed them.

There was no way she could deny how shaken her encounter with Julian left her. Not taking into account all the thoughts begging for attention, all the mixed emotions screaming inside of her currently. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise seeing Julian Baker forced her to confront an inescapable truth that she had been blind to until thirty minutes ago. She was still in love with him. Though she had never actually acknowledged that she had been in love with him two and a half years ago to anyone doesn't mean she hadn't been aware of it. If she had found the courage to talk about it to Julian or anyone really for that matter, she would have admitted that she had been in the process of falling for him, though she hadn't realized how deeply her descent was until he hadn't been there to catch her. She hadn't realized the damage he had inflicted on her already scarred heart until he was gone and by then it was too late to do anything about it. She had hurt him enough and she would not allow herself to do it any more than she already had. She had made her choice and she couldn't go back. It wouldn't have been fair for her to change her mind and give him hope when she knew that what they had couldn't possibly last.

She hadn't come to this conclusion easily either. She remembered how distressing it had been for her to consider his offer for her and Sam to move to LA with him. Her first reaction to the suggestion had been complete shock. That eventually wore off as soon as he had left in the store and she quickly headed straight to the person she partially blamed for this whole mess. The entire car ride from her store to Peyton's studio she kept thinking if it hadn't been for her best friend she never would have met Julian, which meant she never would have become involved with him and therefore not been in the position to make such a life altering decision, not only for herself but for her daughter as well. Looking back now she could admit that her irrational anger came from the fact that she was tempted to say yes and begin a new life on the west coast with him and Sam. By the time she had walked into the studio though her anger had simmered into panic because she was seriously considering his offer. Her talk with P. Sawyer had raised an interesting point. She was so focused on all the reasons why and all the ways it could go wrong that she had failed to think about what **IF** it really did work out.

When Brooke had left her best friend's office, she had run into Chase. He had offered her a drink and she had taken a seat at the bar and proceeded to share her dilemma with her high school rebound. She was frantic for someone to tell her she was out of her mind for even entertaining the idea of leaving the only home Sam and she have ever really known to go build a new one with a guy she had known for three months. She knew it was a crazy idea and she was desperately looking for one sane person to tell her what she already knew to be true. Though they were not close by any means, she still considered Chase to be a friend and she was certain the minute she started talking that he would be the one to tell her she belonged in Tree Hill. She had suffered her third shock of the day when he agreed it might not be such a crazy idea after all. Instead he had informed her that she was always going to be alone until she let someone in but first she needed to figure out what she wanted.

With more thoughts swirling in her mind than ever before, Brooke sought out the solitude of her store. She hadn't been ready to talk with Sam yet until she had made her final decision. Part of her had wanted the young girl's opinion since this affected her too but another part didn't want to give her anything to be concerned about unless there was a definite reason to be. There was also the fact that she didn't know how Sam would react to the idea and that made her nervous. In the sanctuary of her half empty store she weighed everything in her mind for hours, going back and forth, replaying Peyton and Chase's words over in her head, replaying every moment she had shared with Julian and analyzing every feeling he inspired in her. Eventually she closed her eyes and tried to imagine a life away from Tree Hill and it startled her when she could envision things so clearly. She had been so lost in that revelation she hadn't heard Haley walk in until her other best friend joked about her next line being inspired by Twilight. That visit with Haley brought her back to reality. It made her realize there was more at stake than just the survival of a romance. After listening to Haley share the events of her day and reiterating how far Sam had come under Brooke's care she knew she had her answer. She couldn't believe how selfish she had been, she had come so close to disrupting both their lives and for what? For the chance at love? A love she wasn't even sure existed for her. Not the everlasting kind anyway. Not the kind of love that her friends had been blessed enough to find at such a young age.

Brooke had decided that if she couldn't give her heart to a guy as incredible as Julian, she accepted the fact that she would never find love again. As much as she believed in love she understood that it wasn't for her. As much as she envied and admired what Haley and Nathan, as well as Lucas and Peyton shared, she knew love would always remain elusive for her because they had been brave enough to put their heart on the line despite all the pain the couples had caused one another. They gave her the faith that she needed to believe that love existed. There was so much beauty in what the two couples strived to create every day with their families and as much as Brooke once dreamed of finding what they had, she simply couldn't fathom taking that kind of chance. The best she could hope for was that perhaps someday someone might come along who she could spend some time with, who wouldn't demand something she was unwilling to give. She had thought that Julian might be that person considering he suffered a similar heartbreak to hers but that illusion was shattered the moment he professed his love for her. Not only had those words frightened her to her very soul but the sincerity in his eyes every time he looked at her made her yearn for things she had given up on long ago. It reinforced what she knew to be true.

Julian needed to be with someone who was capable of giving as much of themselves as he was offering. As much as she might wish for things to be different she was simply not **THAT** girl. He deserved to be loved as deeply as he did and there was no way in hell she would let him settle for someone who was as damaged as she considered herself to be. She wanted more for him and that conviction gave her the strength she had needed to push Julian away and focus all of her attention on raising Sam and recreating the empire she had given up to her greedy mother. She promised herself she would be content to build a stable environment and a loving home for her daughter. It wasn't written anywhere that she had to be with anyone to find happiness and even if it was, to hell with that! Brooke Davis writes her own story, as Julian so astutely reminded her once. She hadn't sworn men off permanently, she enjoyed them way too much to do something so drastic as that, she was just forsaking the pressure and hassle of trying to find someone to share her life with, which allowed her to keep her priorities in order. She had been certain there would come a time when she would eventually see what happened in the romance department; however that day was in the distant future and sadly it would not include Julian.

From her position on the couch Brooke watched the door, willing Sam to walk through the door and save her from this torturous session of self reflection. She didn't want to recall how she had been required to choose between two paths and wonder if she should have chosen differently. She wanted to trust that it had turned out for the best, the way it all worked out from the moment she showed up at the airport without Sam or any of their belongings more than two years ago. She wanted to be convinced that things had happened as they were meant to, with Julian living his life in LA and she living hers with Sam in Tree Hill. She shouldn't be sitting in the dark questioning the motivations behind her decision not to accompany him to California. She didn't want to wonder if she had let her fears get the better of her. She didn't want to speculate if Julian and Sam had been right all along and she had been using every excuse, mostly Sam, that she could think of to keep from exposing her heart to the potential for heartbreak again! She didn't want to have to contemplate if she had cheated Sam out of the family she had begged them to be for her own selfish reasons. She did not want to have to guess if she had let her horrible history with relationships, her own and that of her so-called parents, prevent her from experiencing one of life's most rewarding adventures, the journey to love. She didn't want to have to surmise if she had let all the uncertainties and what if's cloud her judgment to the point that she had lost the one person who could essentially be the one to show her the true meaning of happiness. She didn't want to consider any of this and yet she was helpless to do anything but. Her mind offered no alternative other than to face the situation for what it was that the past two plus years had been nothing but an enormous mistake she could have avoided had she said one simple word, just three letters, Y.E.S. Admittedly she had accomplished her goal of raising Sam in a loving home but who's to say if the same couldn't have happened here, in a two parent home, with a guy that Sam had trusted almost as much as she did Brooke. She knew Sam hadn't let people in easily and yet she had almost immediately formed a strong bond with Julian, which should have been a huge consideration for Brooke. Not to mention the fact that her daughter seemed to be adjusting well to her new home from all that she gathered from their numerous discussions pervious to her visit this weekend.

She couldn't decide if she was brilliant or the world's biggest fool! She liked to think of herself as quite brilliant since she had long ago perfected the art making the rest of the world, but more importantly her loved ones, believe that she was content with her life. She had learned at an early age how to mask the pain behind her dimpled smile. Brooke had spent all of her adolescent school years pretending that her parent's inability to provide love and affection for their daughter much less pay any attention to her was the primary incentive behind her promiscuous behavior in high school. She had been so starved for love, for some kind of connection that she tried searching for it in the arms of countless boys, hiding behind the image of the party girl persona she had created for herself. No one really took notice, not even her best friend from childhood could really understand that about her. So she MUST have been convincing at it. And she had been until Lucas Scott, the boy who saw too much of the vulnerabilities she fought so hard to hide. He had offered her hope that maybe all wasn't lost. Perhaps she wasn't the unlovable one and the problem did indeed lie with her parents instead of her. He had taken the time to see what was beneath the surface, he understood without her ever having to voice it, how much she missed her parents every day of her life. She had given him her heart and he destroyed it, though he hadn't accomplished that entirely on his own. In truth, he had been only half responsible for the worst pain she had ever endured; the other half belonged to the girl who had been her very best friend, the sister of her heart, Peyton Sawyer. The two people she loved and trusted most in this world betrayed her in the cruelest way imaginable. Not once, but twice. They left her scarred and broken but she made sure they **NEVER** knew that. She made sure no one ever discovered the real extent of the injury. It had taken some time but she had recovered from it.

In time she had even learned to forgive them and let them back into her life. She had slowly discovered that time truly did heal all wounds. But she **NEVER **allowed herself forget the agonizing pain she had experienced. Every time she was tempted to let someone get close to her, she would draw upon that painful lesson she had learned at such a tender age. As long as she continued to do that, it was enough for her to keep things in perspective. It was acceptable to have some fun and enjoy things for what they were but she didn't want to make the mistake of getting so close to someone else to risk her fragile heart again. Until Julian, the guy who unexpectedly charmed his way into her life. The guy who tested her in a way no other guy had ever attempted to. The guy who had succeeded far more than she ever wanted him to. The guy who challenged everything she had believed in for four years. The guy who tempted her in ways she wanted to forget about. The guy who made it difficult to keep the protective barriers in place. The guy who fought for her without her ever asking him to. The guy who said he loved her and made her believe he actually meant those words. The guy she had pushed away in fear of what he made her feel, made her long for, made her want to give love another chance despite every promise she had made to herself. What other choice did she have when faced with someone who held that kind of power but to let him walk away. She just couldn't risk her heart that way. Not even for him.

It had been easier to pretend she hadn't cared that he boarded the plane without her and returned to his previous life. Each day she pretended not to miss him until it got to the point where she didn't miss him quite so much. Or at least that is what she told herself. She realized now that had been a lie she needed to believe to make it through the unbearable days without him. She had to pretend that it didn't matter that he had never bothered to contact her even though he talked to Sam on a weekly basis. After Julian's departure it had been obvious that all of her friends kept waiting for her to fall apart. She had been aware of their watchful, concerned eyes and so she had worked extra hard to prove to her loved ones that she could live her life without him and she would be just fine, that his leaving didn't actually cause the hole in her heart she refused to recognize! She **could** be happy with Samantha, with her friends, with her godchildren, with her job and she could lead a fulfilling life without love's messy entanglements.

Thinking back on it she concluded that she had put so much effort into making everyone else around her believe the façade that she had become deceived by it as well. It hadn't become clear to her, until she had been face to face with Julian a short while ago, that she realized she had fallen victim to her own game, which proved she might actually be the world's biggest fool. All of her years of practice and her experience with willing things to become reality, like the time she pretended to have fallen out of love with Lucas once he began dating Peyton their senior year of high school, failed her. She had pretended with Lucas until it eventually became the truth. She had been hoping for the same kind of results with Julian. She should have known that he wouldn't cooperate with her. One look was all it took for her to identify the ache in her heart for what it was. Brooke Davis was irrevocably in love with Julian Baker. No amount of pretending was going to change this. Almost two and a half years hadn't changed this fact, which had to mean something. It was time for her to stop running from her feelings, to conquer her fears and endeavor to fix this disarray she had permitted her insecurities to create. It was past time she stopped letting her insecurities of failure overshadow the potential of a promising future that could hold endless possibilities for all three of them. Though she was terrified that she might fail Sam and Julian as well as herself again, she owed it to them to supposed her wisest move would be to enlist Sam's help. But in order for that to happen her missing in action daughter had to return home.

While a part of her had found some semblance of peace in having finally figured it all out, she realized that this was just the beginning. She had no idea where Julian stood in regards to his feelings for her. There was a strong possibility that he had moved on with his life and she would have to live with her regrets, which would be a fitting punishment considering how much pain she had caused him. To this day she was still haunted by how devastated he looked the moment he recognized that she would not be going to LA with him. No amount of effort or pretending had ever allowed her the luxury of erasing that image from her mind! It never failed to bring tears to her eyes knowing that she had been responsible for such anguish. She hadn't meant to break his heart and she was really hoping he gave her the chance to heal it, like he had miraculously healed hers. As she waited for Sam to come back she prepared herself for the chance that Julian might not welcome her back into his life and it would be no less than she deserved.

**AN 2: So were my fears justified? Please let me know what you thought of it…Good or Bad!!! I am very anxious to hear your thoughts!!! Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this!!! You all amaze me!! ******** I can promise you the fun is just beginning…**

**Preview: Brooke has an overdue talk with Samantha…**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Again thank you so much for your incredible response to this story!!! You all inspire me and your comments fill me with so much joy and excitement!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I will really try to keep this short though. I know a lot of you have been anticipating the conversation between Brooke and Sam; I really hope that you approve of the direction I took this. I have some reservations, mostly because I am not certain I captured Sam as well as I would have liked. So I would like to offer a brief explanation of my interpretation of her in this scene. I love a sarcastic Sam and I tried to include as many sarcastic remarks when the conversation allowed. But this is a bit of a heart to heart for them and so I made Sam a bit more serious though I think she has always been wise and I hope I portrayed that in this. I really hope you like the end result. I am anxious to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree with how I wrote Sam. If you have any suggestions on ways to improve my writing for Sam I would love for you to share your thoughts on that, as she will be featured in this story. Mostly with Brooke and Julian, though there will be plenty of Brooke and Julian alone time!!! Okay so much for making this short. LOL Thank you for your continued interest in story! You all are so amazing with your generous praise!! Oh and I included another AN at the bottom for a couple of specific people as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH or Kelly Clarkson (I am just borrowing the title of her song for this chapter). All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.**

_**Chapter 3: Long Shot**_

Brooke laid in the dark except for the light she left on in the kitchen, waiting up for Sam, who finally arrived home close to midnight, four hours after she had stormed out of her apartment. She quietly snuck in presumably since Brooke was crashed out on the couch. Or maybe Sam was reluctant to get into it with Brooke again. Either way Brooke was determined to resolve things before they went to bed. She would not be able to sleep until they talked. She heard Sam lock the door and greeted her. "You don't have to be quiet, I am still up."

Sam dropped her keys and purse on the table next to the door. "I see your mother radar is still fully charged," she joked.

"I don't think a mother's radar is ever inactive."

"Lucky me!"

Brooke sat up on the couch and curled her feet up under her, indicating that she would like for Sam to join her. Sam sat down and replied, "so about earlier, I guess I owe you an apology."

Brooke shook her head, "actually you don't."

"I don't?" She asked in total confusion.

"No, you don't," she repeated. "I believe I owe you one instead."

"You do?"

Brooke smiled at the bafflement that settled over her daughters face. If nothing else, at least she wasn't becoming predictable. "I do. I was surprised and I over reacted. That doesn't excuse the fact that I took it out on you and I am sorry. You were absolutely right, this weekend is about you and you should be free to invite whomever you want. You made a very valid point when you said I was an adult and should therefore be able to handle spending a few hours in the company of Julian."

"Well I didn't say it exactly like that."

"You said enough to make me think and realize you were right. In fact I did a lot of thinking tonight, something I have managed to avoid for the last two and a half years."

"Guess maybe I should have said something sooner."

"Don't push it," Brooke warned her sarcastic daughter.

"Right," Sam agreed and smiled tentatively. "Dare I ask what happened after I left?"

"Julian offered to help me go look for you but I told him you were a big girl. You and I needed to cool off. He said for me to have you call him, which I am passing along that message to you now. He was about to politely leave however before he even made it to the door Bitch Brooke emerged."

Samantha sighed. "You know I really don't get it Mom! You are the one who chose not to be with him, not the other way around! I don't understand why you are acting this way at all."

"That makes two of us. I spent the better part of my night trying to figure that out."

"Any luck?"

"I may have made some progress."

Sam waited for Brooke to elaborate but after a noticeable pause in conversation Sam inquired, "well are you going to keep me in suspense much longer especially after the way you abused me earlier tonight?"

"I didn't abuse you brat!" Brooke exclaimed affectionately, giving her a playful shove. "But I may be willing to talk if you agree to keep an open mind about something. I am most likely going to need your help." She confided.

Sam was immediately curious. In all the years she had spent with Brooke, this was the first time Brooke had ever asked her for something. Sam was not about to turn her down, not after all Brooke had done for her. "Even if you don't want to tell me, I will still help you mom. Just tell me what you need from me."

Brooke smiled. "I know and that makes me incredibly lucky! You are pretty terrific, you know that?"

"Of course I do and of course I am. I am Samantha Nicole Walker Davis after all."

"Don't you mean Samantha Nicole Walker Davis should-have-been-Baker?" Brooke added, confirming that she had definitely heard her daughter's earlier remark.

"Um yeah about that-"

Brooke interrupted her daughter, "once again you were right."

"Huh?"

Brooke was tempted to laugh at Sam's expression for a second but remained focused on providing her daughter with some well deserved long overdue answers. "It is true, had I not made such an enormous mistake we both could have been Bakers, as Julian so harshly reminded me after you left."

"Man, I cannot believe I missed that showdown!" She complained.

"It was not much of one," she promised. "Julian wisely walked away before things got too heated between us and I was just as wise to let him. Once he was gone I was confronted with the simple but brutal fact that I had been lying to myself as much as I had been to everyone else by trying to deny that I was in love with him. I cannot believe all it took was one look at him for me to realize how wrong I have been in not fighting for him the way he fought for me so many times. Rather than beg his forgiveness, I got pissed off at you for orchestrating this meeting and then I targeted him because I was consumed with so much regret, while he seemed so unaffected. I was suddenly falling apart on the inside and yet he was so calm and cool about everything. I know I have no one but myself to blame and I am being completely irrational about this but I cannot help how I feel. Ugh! Am I making any sense here?" She groaned. "I mean it is not like I want him to be miserable or anything."

"Yes you do," Sam interrupted. "You are female. It is in our nature to want the one who got away to be completely miserable without us. How else is he supposed to realize what he lost or how good he really had it?"

"That is a petty and selfish way to look at things, don't you think?" Brooke challenged her daughter, slightly amazed at her cynical attitude.

"Probably but that doesn't make it any less true." She defended.

"Regardless, that is not me, never has been and never will be. I wanted Julian to be happy, that is why I had to let him go. I couldn't give him what I felt he deserved and I couldn't ask him to wait for me."

"Because you know he would have."

"I cannot presume to speak for him."

"Come on, you know I am right! He would have waited for you had you asked him."

"There is no point in arguing this fact because I didn't and he left. That was then and this is now."

"So what does the now hold in store for you?" Sam asked kind of dizzy and slightly confused from the back and forth her mother seemed to be doing.

"Now I just want some sort of sign that he might miss me or share some of the regret as well. It would be hard for me to move forward without it." She said as she leaned her head against the back of the couch in dissatisfaction.

"It sounds to me like you have already gotten it."

"How so?" Brooke asked, lifting her head up, giving Sam her undivided attention.

"You said things got heated between the two of you." Sam patiently explained. "I am assuming that wasn't all on your part."

Brooke thought a moment before answering. "No, he was definitely frustrated during our discussion."

"Then I guess he wasn't as unaffected as you thought." She reasoned logically.

She pondered that fact replaying the scene over in her head. "You may have a point."

"I always do when it comes to the two of you. If only you had listened to me in the first place the night he left for LA."

Sam's words earned a fierce glare from Brooke though she chose not to verbally respond to the remark.

"Right, so what are you going to do?"

"I guess learn from my mistakes with Julian the first time around and possibly try again."

"I think that is the best decision you have ever made aside from the one you made when you asked me to move back in with you." Sam said with the biggest smile on her face.

Brooke smiled back thrilled that she could make her daughter so happy to the point it looked like Sam was struggling to contain her excitement. "I couldn't agree with you more! So you will help me then."

"Whatever you need," she vowed.

"Great, because something tells me the hard part is just beginning."

"What makes you say that?"

"It is not just as easy as me saying Julian I love you, can we try again?"

"Well why not?"

"Because it has been so long Sam. Our first encounter was a complete disaster. I cannot drop something like that on him suddenly. I have to work up to it. I don't have any idea what he has been up to in all this time. I think the best course of action is to start by becoming friends again and see where it goes from there."

"That sounds like you don't have a plan at all. I mean really you are only here until Monday, how much progress can you make in that short amount of time?"

"Do you have a better suggestion daughter of mine?"

"Yes! Stop playing games and show him your heart that is all he has ever wanted from you in the first place. He loves you and you love him. That is all that matters and that is all you two should be talking about. The rest will take care of itself. Just tell him you want us to be a family."

While her idea had a certain appeal, Brooke couldn't help but focus in on one relevant fact. "Has he told you that he still loves me?"

"No but he doesn't have to. I know the truth."

"How can you be so certain?"

"It is in his eyes every time I mention your name in passing or every time he picks up this picture of you and me whenever he comes over to visit. Every single time." Sam emphasized as she reached over for the framed picture of her and Brooke on her graduation day that Sam always kept on the end table next to her. She handed it over to Brooke as she continued on with her rationalization. "He always picks it up when he thinks I am not watching. But I am. He hasn't figured out that I purposely leave the room just so I can see if he will do it too. He will just stare at that picture and stroke his finger over your face without ever touching the glass. He gets this lost look in his eyes, which I would normally tease him about if a) he knew I was watching him and b) I just can't because he looks so damn pathetic."

It was silent in the apartment as Brooke absorbed her words and the image her daughter created in her head. She sadly shook her head. "Sam, that doesn't prove anything."

"If you saw his face, you would know. There wouldn't be any doubt as to how he feels about you then." She said simply.

Sam's words made it difficult to form an argument as his face at the airport abruptly flashes through her mind, his devastation haunting her once again. "Hypothetically let's say you are right about his feelings for me. I guess that means he is not seeing anyone then." Brooke asked. Her voice giving evidence to all the hope that was blooming inside of her based on Sam's observations.

Brooke eyed the young girl carefully as she began to suddenly fidget on the couch. Sam pulled one of the crème throw pillows onto her lap. She hesitated before mumbling, "um not exactly."

"Define not exactly. He is either seeing someone. Or he is not. There really is no in between here Sam."

"Well the thing is Julian, he sees a lot of girls. In fact he rarely ever goes out with someone more than twice."

Brooke hadn't been expecting that explanation and she was not sure how she felt about the news that Julian had become a player. On some level she supposed she wasn't all that surprised. He had always possessed an extreme amount of charm, added to his illegal grin, sexy eyes, gorgeous looks, his sensitivity, humor, and out-going personality, it was a wonder he hadn't been a player all along. Brooke was so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized that Samantha had resumed talking until she heard her say "Ashley, Shannon, Jessica, Nikki, Michelle, Jennifer, Lucy, Emily…"

"I get it," Brooke replied finally catching on to the fact that those were names for some of the women Julian had dated. She didn't need Sam to clarify; she already knew the truth based on the way her stomach twisted with each and every name.

"And those are just to name a few of the girls he saw in the first month alone that I was here."

"I see. " And she really wished she didn't. "Wait, did you meet all of these women?"

"No, of course not. Why would I? They are not important to him."

"Hmm." It wasn't what Sam was saying that caught her attention. It was **how **she said it that triggered her instincts enough to ask, "what aren't you telling me Samantha?"

She sighed deeply. "It seems he has recently met someone and she may not fit in with his usual pattern."

"Meaning," Brooke prompted, though she had a feeling she already knew what Sam was about to say. However she needed to hear it out loud, so both of them would not be in denial.

Sam turned the pillow over and over in her lap as she answered, "he has been seeing her on a fairly regular basis for the past few weeks now." She reluctantly confessed.

Her fears validated, Brooke felt like someone had knocked the breath out of her; it was suddenly hard to breathe. She knew there had been a very strong possibility that he would be involved with someone yet hearing Samantha confirm it, made her heart hurt. "Have you met her?" She forced herself to ask softly.

Sam nodded her head miserably. "I didn't want to but he invited me to have dinner with them last week. He wanted to know what I thought of her. I told him-"

"No, stop! Please just stop." Brooke pleaded. She didn't want to hear anymore about the woman who had been lucky enough to capture Julian's interest even though she was dying to know every detail Sam knew about her. She refused to put her daughter in that position despite that Samantha had been willing to do just that. She was certain Julian would not appreciate Sam divulging information about his personal life and quite honestly she didn't think she could handle hearing it. "You can forget everything I just said to you."

"What? No! You can't do that mom!"

"I am not going to disrupt his life like that!" She insisted.

"Why the hell not!!! Can't you see that those girls mean nothing to him? He is obviously searching for something. But he is NEVER going to find it because they are not YOU! No one can compare to Brooke Freaking Davis!" She exclaimed.

Brooke smiled sadly at her daughter's passionate conviction. But it was misplaced in this instance. "I think you are reading way too much into his behavior. Your perspective is distorted by your own wishful thinking."

"Oh and like your perspective isn't distorted by your own fears!" She challenged, throwing the pillow across the room in an obvious display of frustration.

Brooke admired her daughter's restraint not to throw the pillow at her, which she was certain would have liked to do more than anything. "Once upon a time yes," she conceded. "Clarity just came a bit too late is all."

"How do you know? Maybe it came just in time."

"By your own admission Julian had found someone who he enjoys spending time with on more than just a casual basis. He introduced you to her Sam. You and I both know that makes her significant to him." She pointed out as gently as she could, despite the pain piercing her heart. She knew she was disappointing Sam all over again and it was tearing her up just as much as the thought of Julian with some other woman was. "I am happy for him. You should be too."

"Bullshit!" Sam shouted.

"Language Sam," Brooke reminded her out of habit though she lacked her usual conviction behind it.

"Sorry but there is no other word for it! When are you going to stop sacrificing your happiness for everyone else and go after what you want."

"I do!" She insisted.

"Really? So you never sacrificed Lucas for Peyton, your dreams in New York for Peyton, your company for freedom from your mother, your chance at adopting a baby for me, Julian for me. Shall I continue mom?"

Brooke struggled to hold on to her patience. She understood where Sam was coming from, she really did, but there was only so much that she could take. If it would help her daughter to understand her better though she had to address this. "Okay first of all Lucas and Peyton were inevitable, just ask anyone of our friends and they will tell you that! Anyone who got in the middle of those two just got hurt! I may have moved back to Tree Hill to support Peyton but I stayed because it was home to me! I let go of my company because it was not worth the constant battle with my mother. I hated the control she had over it and me. I realized that nothing I did was ever going to be enough to earn her love since she is incapable of giving it to anyone. As for a baby, that was the adoption agency's problem, not mine. I wasn't going to sacrifice my daughter because of some asinine policy. I love you Sam and I am would never give you up for anyone! I have no regrets about that and you better not either!"

"I don't!" Sam vowed.

"Good! I also want you to let go of any guilt you may have over the ridiculous notion that I gave Julian up for you. I gave Julian up for what I believed he needed and I gave him up because of my own issues, it had nothing to do with you, though I did try to make the best decision I could for us. I regret that I took the easy way out and I couldn't give you the family you always wanted us to be."

"He wanted us to be a family to. It wasn't just me."

"I am aware of that too and that is something I am going to have to live with, especially now."

Sam flopped back against the couch. "I never should have told you. I knew it would change everything just when you were finally beginning to make some sense!"

"I still am and someday you will see that."

"Screw someday! That is such a cope out! That is such crap!!! You are just giving up again, when it matters the most. You are becoming your own worst enemy again. I really wish you would quit doing the safe thing for once and live a little. You are not the only one who is allowed to worry in this family you know."

Brooke was shocked by her statement and even more shocked to discover tears shimmering in Sam's eyes. She had no idea that Sam was concerned about her. "There is no reason for you to be worried about me. I am fine!" She rushed to reassure her.

"You may be fine but you are far from happy! I have seen you happy and you haven't been since the day Julian left Tree Hill. You, out of everyone I know, deserves to be the most happy, after everything you do for everyone else. But only you have the power to do something about it."

"Oh honey, I am happy!" She asserted with forced sincerity that she didn't really feel. But she didn't want her daughter to be concerned about her. She wanted Sam to be out having fun and enjoying this time in her life to the fullest capacity. Sam had been forced to grow up at such a young age, never really having the opportunity to be carefree and Brooke wanted her to do that now, not be distressed about her mother's life. "Don't you think Julian deserves a shot at being happy too? What if she can make him happy?"

"How do you know the two of you can't be happy together? You two shared something special once, why can't you have it again?"

"A lot of time has gone by."

"So you keep saying. And yet your feelings for him haven't changed. In fact, it seems to me they have only grown stronger if you were starting to come to your senses. Who is to say that it is not the same for Julian?" She questioned logically. "Why don't you stop making decisions for him and give him the opportunity to tell you what he wants. Trust in what the two of you once shared, trust in yourself and fight for him the way he tried to fight for you. Please stop guarding your heart and take a chance." Samantha begged.

**AN2: So what did you think? I thought I would try my hand at leaving you lovely readers hanging. In the next update we will find out if Sam was successful in convincing Brooke to follow her heart. Or will Brooke remain stubborn in her resolve to not complicate Julian's life? Oh yeah and Julian's POV!!! LOL I know how some of you have been waiting for that as well! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I hope you will share your thoughts about this update as well! If there is anything else you would like to see happen in this story let me know that as well. Ideas are always welcome and I will do my best to accommodate them.**

**Becca, did you catch the surprise I told you about. I know it didn't happen exactly as you suggested it but I tried to come close. I hope you liked it!**

**Since I like to respond to everyone who leaves me a review I would like the say thank you to Sunshine and Sab since I cannot respond to them in a PM. Sunshine ~ I am so glad that you were able to find some sense in Brooke's thoughts. I was hoping she would ask Julian to stay at the very least as well. But I really think she didn't because she is that selfless. She understands he needs to be in LA for his career. But she doesn't understand that I believe he would make it work anywhere so long as she wanted him as much as he wants her. As for Julian being with someone, I think you have your answer to that and more is coming on that as well. But have no fear; this is a Brulian story after all. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts, I really enjoyed reading them!! I am thrilled that you are liking this story! **

**Sab~ Thank you for all of your lovely words. I am so glad that you approve of the storyline direction. I am excited that I could make you happy with Brooke realizing her love for Julian. It had to happen because there is no way in my mind that she doesn't or couldn't love him!!! I will work on coming up with a sexy Brulian scene for you as well as the cute. If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear those as well. Thanks again for taking the time to read and review the story! Hearing your thoughts made me very HAPPY!!! :)**

**I hope you will forgive me for the fact that this comes a bit belatedly but I didn't want to let anymore time pass. There are a couple of reviews from Chapter One that I wasn't able to respond to earlier and I would like to take the time to do so now. I would like to express my personal thanks to ashstalker, Leona, siriuslyblairrr, lola, sunshine and :)**** for all of your encouragement to continue on with this story! I appreciate that more than words can say. I am so happy that so many of you are interested in seeing where this goes. I am beyond excited about this opportunity to share my ideas with you. It is my sincere hope that you all will continue to enjoy this story!! Thank you for taking the time to read and review! Each and every one of you has blessed me with your words!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I went back and forth on this update! This was such struggle to write for the simple fact that I loved episode 6.23 and I was very tempted to try and incorporate it into this story. I probably could have made it work but I wasn't entirely certain so I decided to stick with my original vision. The good news is that I have enough going on in my head to do another one shot! Once again I am going to confess that I am very nervous about posting this. I know some of you have great expectations for insight into Julian's mind and that quite simply terrifies me because I am uncertain of the overall finished product. I never intended to go as deeply with him as I did with Brooke, however since that went over so well with you all; I thought I would try to extend the same creativity with Julian. I have to wonder if I am ever going to stop being nervous about posting a new chapter because I think all of you are so amazing to me! You are extremely generous with your compliments and I want to inspire each of you the way you have inspired me!!! You all deserve nothing but the best I am capable of and so I am going to shut up now, let you read and decide for yourselves if I did Julian justice. Please let me know what you think of it! Thank you so much for reading!!! Thank you so much for all of your reviews and alerts!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH, nor do I own the title of the chapter, I am just borrowing the song title from James Morrison. All mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

*****Flashback in Italics*****

**Chapter 4: Nothing Ever Hurt Like You**

Brooke and Sam were not the only ones who had a late night. In fact Julian had only managed to catch a few hours sleep, not being able to finally relax until just before daybreak. It didn't take a genius to figure out that his loss of sleep was caused by the reappearance of Brooke Davis in his life, well not his life specifically; she hadn't come to LA to see him. He was fully aware she had travelled twenty-five hundred miles to spend time with her daughter and he had just crashed the party, even though Sam had invited him. Brooke's reaction made it abundantly clear that she wouldn't have gotten in touch with him had it not been for Sam. As ridiculous as it seemed he couldn't help but be hurt by that fact. He could admit that he often wondered about her, more than he liked and it was also natural for him to have wondered if she ever thought of him. Now he finally had his answer and hopefully that would cease anymore thoughts about that subject because clearly she was just fine without him, just as he had predicted she would be. She harbored no curiosity about him and it was best if he did the same from now on.

Even now he still couldn't believe he actually thought he had been equipped to handle all that would come along with seeing her again. All the constant reassurances that he had plenty of time to prepare for the idea of seeing her again certainly had to give him an edge. How wrong he had been! The idea was nothing compared to the reality. He had entertained hopes that the evening would have been an opportunity to catch up on one another's lives, to create some sort of association where Sam would be able to speak their names with the other and not fear the reaction. He had seriously thought this could perhaps even provide a bit of closure for them without the mess of any emotions involved. Reflecting back on how foolish that sounded made him want to punch his pillow. He really needed to learn to put Brooke in the past and accept that she was never going to be a part of his future, in any capacity, it seemed. Things had been going along just fine and it was imperative that he remember that. He sighed as he thought back to the events of the night before and hoped that he had not compromised all the progress he had made in the past months.

_Upon leaving Sam's Julian had one goal in mind and that was to NOT think about Brooke Davis! By his estimation he could accomplish this in one of two ways, the first being to head straight for the nearest crowded bar, with very loud music, where he could proceed to get very drunk. Or perhaps he should seriously consider the lesser destructive diversion which had the potential to be just as effective as hard liquor, if handled properly. Since Julian had not been too thrilled with the idea of suffering the ill effects that followed after a night of consuming large amounts of alcohol, which is what would have been required to drive thoughts of the beautiful fashion designer out of his mind, he opted for picking up his cell before he even left the lobby of Sam's building and dialed a number that was becoming familiar to him. Vanessa answered by the third ring and he immediately asked if she was free for the remainder of the evening. He was not been the least bit surprised when she had no trouble accommodating him on such short notice even though he had told her earlier in the day that he had plans for the night himself and she had previously told him she had plans with some of her girls for a night out. She never asked him why he was suddenly free and that was more than fine with him, as he wouldn't have told her the truth in any case. After telling her that he would be there in fifteen minutes he had hung up. _

_Vanessa was a girl he had met at one of the Hollywood Parties he often had to attend to generate more contacts and cultivate the ones he already had. Julian usually attended them alone, not because he wanted to randomly hook up with anyone he met who may have caught his interest, though this happened rather frequently, but mostly because he considered the parties work and he didn't want to have to worry about if his date was having a good time or if she was making a good impression on his business associates. Vanessa was an aspiring actress who had just landed a lead role in a pilot for one of the major television networks. One of his associates from the studio had introduced them and he had been seeing her casually for several weeks now. She was the first woman who had come along and was able to keep his interest for more than two dates. He enjoyed her company, they had fun together and while he wasn't looking for anything serious he thought there may be potential between them, which was something that he had not found with anyone else in a very long time. Though sometimes he wondered if had less to do with Vanessa and more of his need to prove he was truly over Brooke Davis and open to the idea of letting someone else in. That was something he needed to figure out but it wouldn't be happening in the wake of seeing his ex._

_As soon as Vanessa opened the door, all blonde, beautiful and dressed for a night out, he knew it was a mistake for him to be there. He should have opted for the mind numbing effects of alcohol rather than the hopes that she could provide him with a more pleasant distraction from his thoughts. As he followed her in his mind had immediately wondered off. He quickly realized that he would be lousy company and though he really just wanted to leave he suggested they stay in and watch a movie instead. He rationalized that he would spend a couple hours with her since this particular activity wouldn't require them to converse and he would not feel like a complete ass for bailing on her almost as soon as he arrived considering this had been his idea in the first place and she had obviously adjusted her plans to be with him. After she changed, they settled in to watch a movie she had selected and as she cuddled next to him on the couch he could no longer control his thoughts on how wrong this suddenly felt on every level. She felt wrong in his arms, her scent was all wrong, the texture and color of her hair were all wrong, the sound of her laughter was all wrong, her touch against his skin was all wrong, everything just felt so wrong and it had not been this way before. Not until he had lain eyes on Brooke Davis, the woman who was permanently engraved in his heart. By sheer force of will he was able to finish the movie with his arms around her however as soon as the credits began to roll he made up some pretext as to how he had an early meeting and needed to get home to put some things together last minute. He felt like even more of an ass than he had earlier once he had caught a glimpse of her disappointment that he wouldn't be staying the night as he had done a few times before. No matter how badly he may have felt about that there had been no way he could handle staying the night with her, not tonight. He knew with absolute certainty he could not be with her and NOT think of Brooke, not compare her to Brooke, not wish she was Brooke and most of all not be disappointed that she was NOT Brooke. He had thought Peyton had messed with his head once upon a time but that was nothing compared to the way Brooke Davis twisted him up in such excruciating ways, then and still. Julian escaped with a quick peck on the lips before he rushed out the door with a careless promise to call her tomorrow. _

_After he had left Vanessa's he made a detour to the nearest liquor store for the best bottle of bourbon he could find and headed straight home where he intended to try plan a since plan b had failed so miserably. While he allowed the drink to dull his mind, he indulged in a dangerous trip down memory lane of all the moments he had shared with Brooke and Sam all the way up to their tearful ending at the airport._ _The months he had spent in Tree Hill with those two remarkable women were the best in his life! He had never felt such peace or happiness, so much excitement for the future. For the first time he had been completely happy with every aspect of his life and he believed that it would only get better. _

Julian sighed as he recalled that he couldn't remember much else about the night after that as he was pretty sure he finished the whole bottle of bourbon off. Luckily he had had the presence of mind to drinking lots of water, a key to avoiding a serious hangover, before he had made his way into bed just before dawn. Fortunately he wasn't in too bad of shape as he gazed at the sunshine pouring through his floor to ceiling bedroom windows that faced the beach. It seemed the water helped keep the worst of the headache away except for the faint throbbing he felt in the back of his head. But then maybe the headache could be attributed to the fact that he was trying to now keep his mind from drifting to some of the darkest and loneliest days he had ever experienced. He did not like to look back and see himself in the first six months of his return to LA because it scared the hell out of him remembering the depths to which he had willingly sunk to. Upon his arrival aback in LA he found himself continually struggling with thoughts of how he could have handled the whole thing differently. He wondered how it would have turned out had he not pushed her so hard, not forced the issue so much. He thought about if only he had had more time in Tree Hill, if only the movie hadn't been canceled, if only she had asked him to stay, if only she had been willing to let him into her heart, if only she had told him she loved him. He lost track of how many times he had rewritten their ending over, though the scenario would constantly change the ending remained the same, he would always gets the girl and they would find their happily ever after. It had been these types of thoughts that constantly consumed him until he felt like he was losing his mind. It was not a period of time that he liked to reflect back on. Those months had been extremely rough for him. His old had life felt empty and insignificant, to the point that he isolated himself. Julian had blown off numerous invitations to party with the Hollywood elite in favor of staying at home, despite how lonely it was, and every night he had stared at his email and blackberry, hoping that Brooke would make some effort to contact him.

Each day that passed seemed to break his heart a little more rather than strengthen his resolve. Thankfully he had buried himself in work, reading many scripts the studio had obtained now that it was being run by someone other than his father. The studio had been anxious to find a new project and Julian was grateful to keep his mind occupied even if it meant he had to read several love stories. Those had torn at his already battered heart. Work had been his only saving grace but even he had to admit he couldn't find his true passion for it. A few of his friends had been quite worried about him but he refused to talk about what was bothering him. They wouldn't understand and he had known their idea of help would be to suggest finding another girl to replace the one who rejected him. Getting involved with someone was the last thing Julian had wanted to do. The wounds were too fresh. He gradually concluded that the best thing he could do was take some time and try to rid his heart of its longing for Brooke Davis. To achieve that objective his brilliant plan had been to embrace the pain thinking it would be the quickest way to get over her and then the healing process could begin.

During those dark days he could finally relate to Peyton in that when you found the one you were meant to be with it was impossible to ever truly move on no matter who came along, or how great the two of you could be if only the heart were not so stubborn and fixated on the unobtainable. If only the heart were not so dead set against settling for great after experiencing the bliss of finding love that changed you and made you a better person even if the love had been unrequited, for him anyway. He was happy that Peyton had found her own happy ending with Lucas considering everyone who had gotten caught in the cross fire of their love.

He had also relate to Brooke on another level than he had before, in the fact that once you experienced the pain of having your heart fractured so completely, not just broken, you were reluctant to expose yourself to those feelings again. While their circumstances may not have been the same it didn't lessen the pain any or make it less real. He had never tried so hard with anyone as he had with Brooke and he swore he would never do it again. He was still open to the idea of love and he hoped he found it someday but he would never permit himself to love to the degree he had with her, he would never permit himself to fall as hard as he had for her and he would never put himself out there for anyone to break him the way she had. It just didn't seem worth it and he had finally understood why Brooke was the way she was. While he was still open to the possibilities he knew he would never give his heart to anyone the way he had with her. That was a once in a lifetime experience for him, just as she had been.

And finally Julian had to admit that he was envious of Lucas Scott and it had nothing to do with Peyton Sawyer. He was jealous of the hold he would always have over Brooke and he wished Lucas knew how lucky he was even if Julian didn't believe he was worthy of it. It practically killed him to know that Brooke loved Lucas as much as Julian loved her while Lucas was living his happily ever after with Peyton completely oblivious to the mass of destruction their love had left behind. It would have been easy to blame Lucas for the mess he and Brooke had made but even at his lowest point Julian knew that was unrealistic. Brooke's pain was her choice just as his was all his own doing. He had been tempted so many times during those dismal days to call Lucas to ask him how he had ever gotten over Brooke Davis and could he please share with him the secret because he was so desperate to feel something other than the agony that constantly shadowed him and threatened his peace of mind.

The only real bright spot in his life at that time had been his conversations with Sam. He never would have thought a smartass teenager could change his life so much. Hell he never thought Brooke could change him so much, but she had. Between the two, he had never desired a family as much as they made him want one, had made him feel like he already had one. In fact until he had met them Julian had never really planned on having kids of his own. Between his hardass father and absent mother he had never really had a traditional family structure and had therefore been unable to realize the importance of family. Being surrounded by Brooke and Sam had made him appreciate what having a real family could mean, what a difference that could make in someone's life. Sam was a brilliant example of how life altering an experience that could be.

The first couple of times that Julian had spoken with Sam after his departure from the small town in North Carolina Sam had filled him in on all he had missed with everyone, constantly mentioning Brooke as much as she could and though he refused to comment, he greedily soaked up all the details she had imparted to him. He recalled clearly a particular instance when Sam had called him really upset about an argument she had just gotten into with Brooke a couple weeks after he had been back in LA. He had teasingly asked her if she was shop lifting again, to which Sam had responded with one of her sarcastic comebacks that had caused him to chuckle. He hadn't been able to help himself though since it was her sarcasm that had endeared her to him from their very first meeting. He had always appreciated her wit and dry sense of humor. After having had his laugh he had inquired about the context of the argument. Sam had confessed that she had just blown up at Brooke for not going to LA with him, since she never had the chance to go with Jack when he had to move away. Secretly he was touched but he had quickly advised Sam that she needed to apologize to Brooke whether she agreed with Brooke's decision or not. Sam had heatedly asked him if he was always going to take Brooke's side and why wasn't he mad at her too since they could have been a family. While her words had echoed his thoughts they only added to the injury he was already suffering from and he had realized that if this was really going to work he had to sever the last connection he had with Brooke. He had firmly explained to Sam that he did not want to be the reason she fought with Brooke and from this point on he would prefer not to know anything more about Brooke, she had made her choice and he and Sam needed to learn to live with it. Much to his shock Sam had not protested his request, mostly because he assumed she knew how much he was still hurting over Brooke and everything that had transpired between them, or more importantly what **hadn't **happened. He had never said anything to Sam about how he was doing however she was intuitive enough to know how he must have been feeling since she had complied so readily with his wishes. Sam had rarely mentioned Brooke after that and he never asked about her foster mother no matter how the great temptation was at times.

From then on their conversations had been comprised of the details surrounding her life with school, her social activities, her writing and occasionally boys, if she needed the male perspective on things. Julian's answer had always been the same no matter the circumstances; none of them were worth her time, she was out of their league and she should just forget about them. To which she had always asked him if he was EVER going to approve of anyone for her? He had admitted that it was extremely unlikely that he ever would. Sam would then tell him to lower his expectations. His response had never wavered, absolutely not, she deserved the best and she had yet to find that with anyone she talked to him about. After that Sam would change the subject, wisely concluding that she was not going to win that debate with him. He had looked forward to their weekly talks because she never failed to lift his spirits no matter how down he may have been before hearing her voice.

Over the years Sam would send him every piece of work she produced and he would send them back full of encouraging remarks as well as offering some constructive criticisms to help her reach her full potential, which she possessed in abundance as far as he was concerned. He was so confident in her talent that he had even shared some of her pieces with other people in the industry to get some of their feedback for her just in case she doubted his opinion. He was always willing to help her and he loved that she valued what he had to say. He had been thrilled when she had informed him that she had been accepted into UCLA where she planned to study Film and creative writing, as she was interested in both. He had promised her that anything she needed and was in his power to give her she could consider it done. He had even asked her if she wanted to stay with him as he had several spare rooms in his house. Sam had kindly declined his offer, explaining she had wanted to get the full college experience by living in an on campus apartment. He had understood and told her that his home would always open to her even if she just wanted to get away for the weekend. That conversation had also been one of the first times he had almost broken his own rule by asking how Brooke was handling the news that her daughter was moving across the country. But he had thought better of it and never voiced his curiosity to Sam. It had also been one of the only times in recent memory that he had been very tempted to contact her himself. In the end though had he pushed that urge aside rationalizing that it was best to keep things as they were, they had both moved on and he was certain that he was the last person she would confide in, that is what her friends in Tree Hill were for. She had made it clear she hadn't needed him.

When Sam had first invited Julian to Parent's Weekend, he had been extremely affected by the offer and readily agreed. It was only afterwards that he had realized that meant he would have to see Brooke as well and actually spend time with her. The idea had disturbed him greatly to the point where he had already been formulating a strategy to use work as an excuse to cancel last minute. His plans for a sudden business trip out of town that particular weekend became wishful thinking once it registered with him how excited Sam had been at the prospect of having both her mother and father figure present for a school event for the first time in her life and there was no way he was going to disappoint her like that. If she had wanted the illusion of a family for a couple of days he could handle it because that is what a parent did for their child. They sacrificed their own needs for that of their child and Sam was as close to a daughter as he had so he had resigned himself to deal with whatever fallout that may have come from seeing the woman who had once devastated his heart. He had assured himself that he had come a long way since he left that amazing small town and there was no reason why Brooke would have any effect on his life. He had determined things in his mind by thinking he would go to make Sam happy, he would spend a few hours with them, then Brooke would leave and his life would resume as it had since he had resolved to put the pieces of his life back together again. Julian groaned thinking for the second time since he had awoke that morning how foolish that attitude had been. As if he could be in the presence of the woman who tossed his heart away and walk away unscathed. He had practically left a trail of tears between Tree Hill and LA.

Julian could not explain it to himself let alone anyone else about how he had finally been able to get control over his emotions again after feeling so lost for so long. One morning he had woke up exhausted emotionally as well as mentally and he had realized that he couldn't go on this way for much longer. He could not continue to wait for her, which is something he realized he had been doing subconsciously. Something had to give, he had to find the strength to let go before he lost himself entirely. He was beyond tired of missing Brooke. The ache he felt did nothing to change the circumstances. Brooke had not made a single attempt to get in touch with him no matter how hard he had stared at the phone or computer screen willing her to do so. In fact her silence was irrefutable proof that she did not miss him. It had meant that she had no regrets and she was not going to change her mind. She had never seen a future for them and that made what they had forgettable. Faced with those facts he had only two options, to carry on in the depressed way he had been or learn to live without Brooke and rebuild his life, one that would not include her. He had eventually concluded that the heartache would linger for as long as he let it and he could quite possibly drown in despair indefinitely because he suspected that he would not ever fully heal.

It had not been the easiest road but Julian had become intent on making a sincere effort to bury his love for Brooke, to move beyond the pain of dreams unrealized and missing both of the girls who had touched his life so immeasurably. The way he had been carrying on since his returned home had been completely unhealthy and once he had acknowledged that he knew it was a step in the right direction. His recovery from his dejected state of mind had not been an easy one as some days had been worse than others but he managed to make it through them. Even now he could concede he still suffered through the occasional bad day, which he defined as those times when something would happen to trigger a memory, such as when he heard her name spoken among the women in the office about her latest line of clothes, or at a party when he heard girls talking about who designed the dress they were wearing or when he saw her on the cover of a magazine as he walked the streets of LA. Those moments would bring him back and force him to confront the memories he tried to keep locked away. But even then he in turn tried to think about the precious times they had shared instead of the pain that came with losing her, because really he still found beauty in the attempt as he had once told her. He may have regretted the fact that things had ended but he would never regret having fallen in love with her. How could he when she had brought so much happiness into his life for a brief period of time. Loving her had changed him, had inspired him to be more than he thought possible of himself but that wasn't any real surprise considering that seemed to be her gift to those who were blessed enough to know her. There were still bad days but they were not unbearable anymore and fortunately his good days, days that she didn't cross his mind at all, outnumbered the bad. His life may not have been complete but that didn't interfere with his ability to take the necessary steps to continue on in the journey called life.

Once he had made the commitment to slowly salvage the life he had put on hold after his heartbreak Julian had slowly begun to hang out with his buddies, though he never really addressed what had happened to him and they never pushed the issue. He eventually had reclaimed his former passion for work and found the satisfaction he once had for the career that drove chats with Sam remained the best part of any week and that was the one thing he had been unwilling to give loved her too much and while at times it might have made his life less complicated to put her in the past as well, she just mattered too much to him. In time he had started to date again and though it wasn't intentional he rarely saw the same woman more than twice. He could offer no logical explanation for how that patterned developed either other than to say that they had usually failed to keep his attention long enough for more than supposed it might have something to do with the fact that he was not looking for anything serious, not after feeling so intensely and passionately about a particular woman he preferred not to think about. Maybe it was because he was trying to protect his heart or anyone else who was interested knowing that his heart wasn't fully whole and probably never would be again and not for a long time to the pattern represented something deeper that he had yet to figure out the significance of. Truth be told if that was the case he wasn't sure he cared for discovering the answer, though Sam had once offered to share her theory to which he had insisted she keep to were working just fine for him as far as he had been concerned. He was always careful about never leading anyone on and his main goal was to make sure both he and the girl he was with had fun. He was finally content with his life again and he saw nothing wrong with that.

While his life may have been busy currently he always made sure he had time for his favorite girl, Sammy. Now that she was living in LA, they had dinner at least once a week in place of the weekly phone conversations they had spent months engaging in. It amazed him to see how far she had come in the years that had passed. She was still his Samson and yet she had changed so much. He was so proud of her and he thought Brooke had done an exceptional job in raising her. He had hoped to have the chance to tell Brooke that during her visit but that seemed unlikely given how they had left things the previous night.

Brooke's reaction still perplexed him. He wasn't all together sure what he had been expecting upon seeing her again but it certainly hadn't been for Brooke to freak out like that, although he was not completely innocent of adding to the intensity by losing his cool and pushing her for more of reaction to help him solve the mystery her tears had been shed between the two of them he thought that they had ended things amicably enough at the airport. Therefore he saw no reason for there to be any resentment between them, he definitely did not harbor any and since he had been the one who got hurt the most, the scene that had taken place in Sam's apartment confused the hell out of him. Rather than two friendly exes catching up after a long absence, they acted like bitter exes who couldn't stand to be in the same room with one another. Sam had never given him any indication that Brooke hated him and surely if that were the case she would have warned him. It was something he was going to have to ask the young girl about the next time they talked as he was very curious.

He could admit now that he was disappointed with the way things had turned out, mostly for Sam's sake since he knew how excited she had been and how important this weekend was to her. If he were being completely honest he could acknowledge that he was also disappointed that he wouldn't be able to test his resolve and the belief that he was finally over Brooke, that he wouldn't be able to gain the closure he felt was needed to eradicate the feeling that he had left something unfinished. He supposed it didn't really matter since he had survived seeing her and his life was not falling apart. Granted the foundation may have been shaken a bit, hence his need for large quantities of alcohol the night before, but it was not anything he couldn't fix, there would be no permanent damage. He need not fear any relapse that would negate the tremendous progress he had made in the past two years of his determination to get over Brooke. Now he could finally accept things as they were, he was over Brooke Davis as much as he was ever going to be! He could live with that considering that Brooke got over him as soon as he had boarded the plane for LA and he was probably being generous with that assessment since she had never loved him at all and never wanted to, if he were being completely honest.

Realizing that he had spent far too much time thinking about Brooke Davis already between last night and the start of today Julian thought a run on the beach might help clear his head and relax a bit before he figured out how to spend the rest of his day. Though he still felt tired he didn't want to spend the remainder of his day in bed being unproductive. Thos days were long gone and Julian only allowed himself the luxury of a lazy day in bed if he had someone to share it with, which was a rare occurrence since he was not in the habit of bringing girls to his home. Since that wasn't the case this morning he knew he should get up soon and call Vanessa to apologize as he had treated her so unfairly and maybe check in with Sam as well to see if she had made up with Brooke. He knew how much it bothered both girls when they got into disagreements with one another.

Before Julian could make any effort to officially start his day, he heard the sound of his cell phone vibrating against the solid wood of his nightstand. He rolled over in bed and reached for his blackberry, looking at the caller id, already smiling before he accepted the call. "Good morning Samson! I hope you were easy on your mother and the two of you worked things out. It really wasn't fair for you to ambush her like that." He said in way of a greeting.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "Sam is everything okay?" He asked concerned. He was already halfway out of bed when he heard a female voice answer. Only it wasn't Sam's. He would recognize that voice anywhere even if she hadn't identified herself. It was the voice he constantly struggled to forget.

"Hello Julian, it's Brooke. I borrowed Sam's phone, I hope you don't mind my calling. Did I catch you at a bad time?" She asked politely.

Though he was wide awake, he slowly laid back down in his king size bed willing the rate of his heart to slow down now that he knew there was nothing to be concerned with. He refused to believe that the sudden racing of his heart had anything thing to do with talking to Brooke. "It is fine Brooke. Is everything okay with Sam?"

"Yes she is fine and yes she went easy on me. I appreciate your support despite the fact that I was a complete bitch to you yesterday."

"You weren't a bitch and I think it was totally uncool of Sam to surprise you that way. Who knows how I would have reacted had the situation been reversed."

"Now who is being easy on me? Surprised or not, I still owe you a huge apology. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. You were an invited guest in Sam's home and I was terribly rude to both of you. I know how close the two of you are and how much you have done for her over the years. Instead of expressing my gratitude to you, which is what I should have done, I proceeded to attack you for no reason and I am terribly sorry about that. I would like to make it up to you and Sam, if you will let me."

"That is not necessary Brooke. I accept your apology even though I am not convinced the circumstances warrant one. I wasn't exactly friendly to you either," he admitted.

"Only because I provoked you. I really would like to make it up to you, as well as Sam. What do you say?"

Against his better judgment he asked, "what did you have in mind?"

"We all meet for brunch and then take a tour of the school as planned. What do you think?"

Julian realized that what she was suggesting entailed him to spending most of the day with her. The sensible part of him screamed for him to politely decline the offer, tell her to enjoy her time with Sam and wish her well. The masochist in him was shouting to get the hell out of bed and ask what time he should meet them. It was a brief and violent war he waged internally before reaching a conclusion. Was his pride really worth all this? Just mere minutes ago he had been disappointed that he wouldn't be able to find out if he was really over Brooke and now that he had a chance to find out he wondered if that was the wisest course to take. In fact he thought he would be an absolute fool to agree to her proposal considering how fifteen minutes in her presence disrupted his life; he could only imagine the damage she could accomplish given a few hours.

Before he had a chance to respond, she replied in a voice that could only be described as barely above a whisper, "please."

With that one word Julian knew he was willing to suffer the consequences of his decision. "What time were you thinking?"

"How does eleven sound?"

Julian glanced over at his silver watch on the nightstand, it had been a gift from Sam for his birthday last year and he wore it every day. He mentally calculated the time it would take him to get ready and maneuver his way through traffic. "That should work." He would have liked more time to process this latest development but what would be the point. In less than twenty-four hours Brooke Davis had managed to turn his world upside down, just as she had from the moment he had stumbled upon her doing that ridiculous Molly Ringwald dance in the privacy of her store all those years ago.

"Great!" She exclaimed, her voice full of enthusiasm. "Where would you like to go? We could meet you there."

"I know just the place," he replied deliberately keeping his answer vague. "I will pick you and Samson up by eleven."

"That sounds perfect. We will see you then."

"See you then," he agreed.

Just as he was about to hang up he heard her say, "hey Julian."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for allowing me another chance to start over."

Julian frowned at her choice of words, thinking if only she really meant them, but that was impossible since Brooke never thought they had belonged together to begin with. "No problem." He said before he hung up pondering if only they could start over again from the moment he saw her at the airport. That was the day that had changed his life the most. He was aware that some arguments could be made that things seemed to have changed dramatically between him and Brooke the moment he declared his love for her as they laid in her bed after making love one morning. Though he would concede that as the catalyst that set it all in motion, it wasn't the moment that everything changed. That moment occurred in a crowded airport as he realized that she and Sam would not be joining him, where he was forced to say good-bye to her and all of the dreams he had for their future together as a family. A family he had never realized he wanted until he fell for both of them**.** Shaking off that haunting memory Julian rose from the bed and headed into the bathroom to get ready for his outing with the two girls who would be forever etched into his heart.

**********************

Across town Brooke's hand shook as she passed the phone over to Sam as she informed her, "he will be here by eleven."

"See," she said flashing her mother a triumphant smile. "I told you he wouldn't say no."

"Don't get your hopes up Sam." Brooke cautioned.

Sam rolled her eyes. "So what did you bring that's going to make him want to jump you?"

"Samantha!" Brooke shouted.

"Like you would say no." Sam challenged. "You two were all over each other all the time."

"We were not!" Brooke denied.

"Whatever, guess we will have to blame your failing memory on old age then. I remember clearly because walking in on the two of you making out on the sofa scarred me for life." Sam said as she jumped up off the couch and out of Brooke's reach.

"Hey, I am not OLD!" Brooke shouted as she chased after a giggling Sam. While it warmed her heart to see her daughter so happy it scared her because she wasn't confident she could make it last, too many factors were out of her control, including her own emotions when it came to one Julian Baker.

**AN2: So this update was a bit long. I probably should have broken it down into two chapters so I really hope I didn't bore any of you lovely readers. I also hope I didn't confuse you with the switch between present and past tense thoughts. I promise I tried really hard to make it flow as best as I could. If you have any questions please let me know. If I failed in my attempt to avoid creating any confusion I am really sorry. As always I would love to hear your thoughts…good or bad. Did I give Julian enough of a voice and a clear look inside this incredible man's head? Was it too much? Not enough? Any feedback is appreciated. As are suggestions for what you would like to see happen in this story. I have a few ideas but am giving myself room to accommodate what you would like to see happen with these two. And yes Vanessa will be putting in an appearance later on. Though that was never originally part of the story, however since so many of you have requested it, I have worked out an outline for that scene. So now you have heard my thoughts, can I please hear yours? Thank you again for reading! **

**I would also like to thank you few people who have left reviews that I was unable to respond to in a PM…**

**Sunshine~ It was my pleasure for the previous note, hope you do not mind another one! That is not dorky at all. I can promise you that I am just as excited when you take the time to leave me such a lovely review. It is such a relief to know that you could understand both Brooke and Sam in the last chapter, as I think it was an extremely important one that sets the stage for the rest of the story. It is really nice to hear that you are siding with Brooke, though I must confess I am sided with Sam. LOL I think it is safe to say that Brooke is going to proceed with caution where Julian is concerned. As for Julian well the guy has been burned badly so we shall see what happens. I do not want to give everything away. Where would be the fun in that? Thank you for your lengthy review, I loved reading all of your thoughts. I hope I didn't disappoint you with Julian's POV. **

**Sab~ Thank you so much for you awesome review!!! It was so much fun to read! I know I teased around Julian's girl in this latest chapter. She will actually be making a real appearance later on. I promise lots of Brulian interaction now that we know what both characters thoughts are. Your faith in me is amazing! I hope I continue to live up to your hopes. I am glad you are enjoying Sam, she will definitely be a factor on the next couple of chapters. Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. I am humbled by your words of praise and they mean so much to me! Thank you!!!**

**Lisa~ Thank you for taking the time to read and review. I am so happy that you are enjoying this story!! More Brooke and Julian interaction is coming beginning next chapter and for several more after that! Thanks again! **

**Jessy~ I am thrilled to know that I have captured your interest with this story! It is a lot of fun to write. As I mentioned before Julian's girl will be seen for a bit, though that was never the plan. Thanks to all of your requests she may play a bigger role. I hope you all are prepared. LOL I am sorry to keep you waiting for updates. Trust me when I say I KNOW that feeling well! I am so flattered that you enjoy this story that much!!! As for the idea of Julian's dad, hmm, I never thought about that for this one. Let me think about it and if not this one, an upcoming one for sure. Okay? As for Brooke and Julian I hope you will read on to see what happens next. Thank you for your wonderful review and sharing your thoughts with me!**

**Rebecca~ Aw thank you so much!!! I agree I think Julian does deserve to be fought for and I am so glad that you are looking forward to seeing how Brooke goes about that. Julian's girl will be showing up later, I promise. I am surprised so many of you want her to make an appearance. LOL I really never expected that. But I am always up for making my readers happy!! Thank you for taking the time to read and share your feedback with me. I appreciate that! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am so sorry about the delay on this chapter. My original intention was to kind of gloss over the brunch with a brief description of what had taken place but since so many of you were excited to see the actual event, that altered my plans. It also challenged me to come up with something and it took me a bit to become inspired with an idea. But once inspiration finally struck, I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you like what resulted from your enthusiasm for the brunch. I also don't think you will have to wait as long for the next chapter either since I have part of that already written out and know what is going to happen for the yet to be written part as well. Thank you for your patience with me and your continued interest in this story! Everyone's reviews have touched me more than words can possibly say! THANK YOU! I hope you will let me know what you thought of this chapter as well since I tried to lighten things up just a bit after all the intensity from Brooke and Julian's previous thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with OTH or the title of the song for the chapter, which I borrowed from Bonnie Raitt. Nor do I have any association with the Ivy restaurant that is mentioned and I will admit I took liberties in saying that it serves Saturday Brunch because this place was a near perfect match for a locale I needed to feature in this update. Not sure if I needed to disclaim that but thought it best to cover all my bases. **

**Oh and all mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

**Chapter 5: Something to talk about**

Brooke tried on five different outfits before she and Sam agreed on a red sundress, a Brooke Davis original, of course. It was low cut and emphasized all of her curves. It may have been late October but the sun was shining hot and bright in California. She and Sam were squeezed in to the small bathroom of the one bedroom apartment. The nerves in her stomach were fluttering out of control as she put on the finishing touches of her make-up. Sam was doing the same next to her though her make-up was minimal compared to Brooke's.

"So what is your plan?" Sam suddenly asked as she put on her eyeliner.

"My plan?" Brooke echoed as she looked at Sam in the mirror rather than turn to face her. She was in the middle of defining her eyelashes with mascara even though her shaking fingers made it difficult to apply the final coat.

"Yeah, your plan. Please tell me you have a plan!" Sam exclaimed. "How else are you going to win Julian back? You have competition, granted she is your typical Hollywood bimbo but since he does have someone else lurking in the picture that means a plan is completely necessary. You need a plan, so what is it?" The young girl demanded.

Under other circumstances Brooke would have been amused at the fact that Sam appeared to be on the verge of panicking. However Sam's reminder of Julian's interest in someone else combined with the insistence that she have a plan was doing nothing to help settle her nerves. Sam's reaction only intensified her apprehension. She hadn't felt this anxious about something since, well her first "business meeting" with Julian regarding the designs for his failed movie attempt with Lucas in Tree Hill a few years back. Sam had made her nervous then too by insisting that it had been an actual date and not just a business meeting. Because of her daughter's conviction she had fussed over every little detail for hours making sure her appearance had been perfect, her presentations were perfect and the ambiance had been perfect, until he had finally arrived. It turned out Sam had been right. It may not have been intended as a date but by the time several hours had passed it had certainly felt like a first date, complete with a spectacular first kiss. That night had been the start of something miraculous; she only hoped that today inspired similar results.

Brooke could feel Sam's intense stare as she awaited her response which caused Brooke's hand to shake even more to the point that she had trouble twisting the cap back on the cylinder of mascara. "Just because I am not sharing my plan with you, doesn't mean I don't have one." She replied without meeting Sam's doubtful gaze. She shoved the mascara back into her make-up bag and exchanged it for a tube of her favorite red lipstick which she began to apply to her full lips.

"I thought you asked for my help."

"I did."

"Then how do you expect me to do that if I don't know what you have planned." Sam asked exasperated.

A knock at the door prevented Brooke from answering and startled her enough that she paused in mid swipe as she colored her lips.

Sam rolled her eyes knowing the arrival of Julian signaled an end to their discussion. "Shall I get that?" Sam asked as she watched Brooke complete her look with some clear lip gloss.

"No, let me." Brooke said as she gave herself one last check in the mirror before exiting the room but not before she heard Sam mumble, "you so don't have a plan."

Brooke ignored Sam's sarcastic remark as she smoothed down her dress, choosing to focus on the door and the sense of déjà vu that came over her as she approached it. Except this time she knew exactly who would be waiting on the other side of it. As she turned the knob she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she is Brooke freaking Davis and she doesn't need a plan. She opened the door with a smile and replied softly in her raspy voice, "hello Julian."

"Hi Brooke," he greeted as she stepped back and allowed him to enter the apartment. She closed the door behind him though her hand remained on the door knob gripping it tightly as she surveyed his appearance as he turned to face her. He was wearing a pair of light colored khakis with a black button down dress shirt. Brooke thought he looked amazing despite the simplicity of the outfit. She had always approved of his sense of style. He was sporting some scruff on his chiseled features and looking sexy as hell! It suddenly felt like it was a sauna in the room. Knowing she should use this time wisely with him she racked her brain for some clever words.

"Thanks again for coming with us today." Brooke bit her lip to hold back a sigh. It wasn't clever but it would have to do until she got passed the haze in her head since he had appeared in the room.

"I appreciate you inviting me to join the two of you." He replied politely.

Brooke nodded her head and a heavy silence fell over them. While part of her was grateful to have a few moments alone with Julian she also couldn't help but wish Sam would join them so she could fill the silence as only Sam could. Brooke and Julian stared at one another both struggling to find something to say. Shit! Sam was right, she needed a plan and she sure as hell couldn't think straight with him standing in front of her. This was going to be more difficult than she had anticipated. Someone needed to break the quiet that had taken over the room. She needed to be the one to say something since she had screwed it up in the first place yesterday.

"So this is awkward." Brooke replied stating the obvious, giving him a tentative smile.

"Just a bit." He agreed with a slight grin of his own.

"I have a suggestion."

"By all means," he invited her to continue.

"So what do you say that we pretend last night never happened?"

"Ah the deleted scene."

"Exactly." Brooke replied giving him a full smile, displaying her famous dimples. She was pleased that he was following her logic.

"Because that worked out so well for us the last time." He reminded her cynically.

His words erased the smile from her face. "Can we at least try?"

He saw the hope in her eyes and had no defense against it. He didn't see how it could make things any worse between them. "We can try." He agreed and watched her smile once again, which took his breath away. He was so dazzled by her smile that he was taken completely by surprise when she took several steps closer as she replied "it is good to see you Julian."

"You too Brooke."

Then she surprised him even more when she continued to close the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug. Julian was stunned at the sensations that overwhelmed him at the feel of her body resting flush against his. It took him several seconds to make his arms move from his sides to encircle her waist. At the contact Brooke immediately tightened her hold and he responded the same exact way, bringing her closer if that were even possible. What was meant to be a friendly hug quickly turned into an evocative embrace.

Brooke sighed softly into his neck as she buried her head against him. He had been so slow to respond and once he had she had been terrified he was going to push her away. The feel of his strong arms wrapped around her immediately eased her fears and caused her to cling to him as much as she was able to. She wished there was a way to suspend time so she would never have to leave the shelter of his arms. This was something she had missed fiercely. No one had ever made her feel as cherished as when she was in Julian's arms. She knew that things were not the same between them but the way he made her feel hadn't changed. If only there was a way for her to memorize everything about this moment!

If Brooke had access to Julian's thoughts she would have been thrilled to know that he was thinking the same thing. He closed his eyes in an effort to preserve the memory of her being in his arms again after spending so many nights wishing he could hold her, just like this. It didn't matter that his sensible self was shouting for him to release her, the shadow of the broken man he once was accepted that this was going to come at a costly price, one he would gladly pay later on, when she disappeared from his life again. Once her arms had come around him there was no way he had the strength to break the physical connection. Against his better judgment he indulged himself by turning his head and was instantly assaulted with the familiar coconut scent of her shampoo. He yearned to wrap her silky tresses, which he noticed were longer than when they had been together, around his fingers to see if the dark waves felt as silky as they looked but instead he just hugged her tighter and reveled in the way she fit so perfectly in his arms.

Sam paused outside her bedroom door at the sight that greeted her. Brooke and Julian were completely immersed in one another. She could definitely get used to seeing them like this and she planned to do everything in her power to ensure that happened. Her dreams of them becoming a family were so close, she could feel it. It was a relief to know that she didn't have to work on Brooke quite so much; she just had to make sure Brooke didn't give up too soon. That left Julian for Sam to deal with, which was going to be a challenge considering how much Brooke had hurt him. Seeing them together again reminded her of what was important in life: love and family! The picture the two of them made wrapped up in one another warmed her heart though she would never admit that out loud. After all she had a certain smartass reputation to protect. She was reluctant to interrupt the moment but knew they were operating under a fairly tight schedule even if the two adults were oblivious to this fact. She crossed her arms in front of her and made her presence known. "I wonder what the going rate for a hotel room by the hour is around here. I guess I can give you two a special rate since this would be reunion sex but you have to promise to change the sheets before and after."

Julian couldn't help but chuckle even as he felt Brooke jump slightly in his arms.

"Samantha!" Brooke exclaimed in shock at her daughter's scandalous words.

"Behave Samson," Julian warned with an affectionate smile for the precocious young girl, who had stolen his heart with her quick wit.

"You two are all over each other and yet you tell me to behave. How is that even fair?" She sighed for effect though she was suddenly enjoying herself tremendously. Sam had forgotten how much fun it could be to torment Brooke in this way.

"We are not all over each other! It is called a hug!" Brooke corrected.

"It is foreplay!" Sam insisted.

Julian chuckled again which quickly became an all out laugh as he heard Brooke murmuring against his chest that she was going to kill Sam as soon as there weren't any witnesses around.

It became evident that Brooke was clearly not amused when she lifted her head and glared up at him. "Laughter only encourages her you know." She pointed out as frustration colored her tone.

"I know but our girl is hilarious Brooke."

Hearing him refer to Sam as "our girl" erased all traces of frustration from Brooke's expression leaving her a mass of mush on the inside. She wasn't sure if Julian was aware of the words he had spoken or if they slipped out without him thinking, either way it was a painful reminder to her of all that she had lost due to her own denial and refusal to take chances. She couldn't believe there had been a time that she had actually tried to convince herself it would never work between the two of them. He had such an amazing heart and he had offered it to her, only to have her cruelly hand it back to him. What the hell had she been thinking?! There wasn't a man alive who was more incredible than Julian Baker and if she hadn't realized it before she most certainly did now.

"And right, as always." Sam chimed in breaking Brooke from her thoughts. "Are we going to go? Or are the two of you going to stand in my living room hugging all day?"

Her words made them both realize that they had yet to let go of one another. Brooke tilted her head back to meet his gaze and saw the embarrassment that she felt reflected in his eyes. They recognized that they should have stopped hugging a long time ago and even now there seemed to be reluctance to break the contact. That had to mean something, right? Brooke thought to herself. If it didn't then why hadn't he let her go or pushed her away after an acceptable amount of time had passed after she had initiated the hug. Instead he had held on to her just as tightly as she had to him. She could take that as an encouraging sign. It saddened and annoyed her to know that what she had once shared with him was now reduced to her having to analyze every little thing that happened between them to figure out how he felt. This was going to be a long day! Aware that she had become lost in her thoughts again she gave him a shy smile as she dropped her arms from around his neck and stepped back immediately missing his warmth as he relinquished his hold on her.

"So are you girls ready? I took the liberty of making reservations for us." Julian asked switching his gaze between Brooke and Sam who had a knowing smirk on her face. He got the feeling he was missing something between the two girls and figured he would bid his time until he cornered Sam on it.

"Yeah we are ready." Brooke answered.

"Sure just let me grab my stuff." Sam retreated back into her bedroom.

Brooke turned to look at Julian. "I am sorry."

"For what?" He asked genuinely confused as to what she felt the need to apologize for.

"Sam being so out of control with her mouth."

Julian gave her a reassuring smile and shrugged off her apology. "She is just being Samson."

"I am really glad you decided to join us today." Brooke confided with yet another smile. She couldn't help how happy she felt just by being near him despite the weirdness of the whole situation.

"What guy in his right mind would say no to spending time with two remarkable girls such as you and Sam?" Julian questioned flashing her one of his trademark grins.

The grin that never failed to make her weak in the knees. Seriously that grin should come with a warning to the effects it had on a woman's libido. It was ridiculous how much it effected her. It was just a smile for goodness sake.

San returned to find them sharing an intense look. Rolling her eyes, she crossed the room to join them in front of the door.

"Oh and would you mind keeping the eye sex to a minimum please? I may not be a child but I am sure there will be impressionable children present where ever Julian is taking us. I would hate for the patrons to start complaining to management for your totally inappropriate behavior."

Julian bit his lip to keep his laughter contained as Brooke shot him a silent plea for help. Bending down next to her ear he ordered Brooke softly, "count to ten." He straightened up satisfied that Brooke was following his suggestion and turned to Sam. "I think you have had enough fun for the moment Sammy."

"But I am just getting started. I have enough material to last the entire day." She complained with a pout.

Brooke Davis taught her well, Julian thought as he tried to ignore how adorable she looked with her pout and puppy dog eyes. "That is what I am afraid of."

"Oh come on, even you can't deny that I am at least entertaining."

"I admit nothing of the kind while your mother is around. She can be kind of scary when crossed." He said in a mock whisper.

"I heard that!" Her patience was wearing thin as she tried to fight the urge to hit the both of them.

"Of course you did! It is also true. I am just saying you might want to tone it down if you want to survive the rest of the day, Samson."

"I would listen to Julian; he is giving you good advice daughter of mine. You seriously need to find the filter from your brain to your mouth."

Sam shrugged and replied with a smile, "I will take my chances."

Opening the door he gave Sam a gentle push out into the hall as he saw Brooke take a step toward her, then he followed her out deciding it was best to keep distance between the two. Alone in the room Brooke grabbed her red clutch purse off the counter in the kitchen finally releasing the smile she had been holding in. She didn't know whether to hug Sam or ground her, even though she was beyond that stage in her life. Brooke understood that Sam was doing her best to keep things light hearted and fun rather than awkward and intense for them. It seemed everyone realized the potential was there and was playing along to avoid falling into that kind of situation. But that didn't mean she was going to let Sam off so easily later on since the girl was having way too much fun with her current role.

*********************

The car ride from Sam's to downtown LA was a fairly uneventful one. Sam continued to torment Brooke and Julian with her comments every now and then. When she was not being obnoxious they were all able to have an actual conversation about Los Angeles with all of them taking turns sharing what they liked about the city. There were very few silences in the car as Sam was always ready to fill them with a sarcastic remark. Both of the adults in the car were very thankful for Sam's presence, no matter how improper her comments were, as they were getting accustomed to being around one another again.

Julian pulled up in front of the restaurant and immediately noticed the paparazzi failing to be inconspicuous as they stood around waiting for the who's who of Hollywood to arrive and leave one of LA's most popular restaurants. The Ivy Restaurant was one of the places people came to be seen in LA. It was also one of the places Julian liked to frequent when he wanted to impress people, not that he wanted to impress Brooke or anything, it just seemed like a place she and Sam might enjoy since it was so different from anything one could find in Tree Hill. When the idea of taking them to this place occurred during his phone call with Brooke the thought of reporters had not even been on the radar.

Julian gripped the steering wheel a little tighter in frustration at this new dilemma causing his knuckles to go white as he comprehended what an outing at this place with the three of them was going to appear to the vultures that searched the city for the next hottest headline.

From her place in the passenger seat Brooke noticed Julian become tense beside her. She had been in tune with him from the moment she sat next to him and all during the ride from Sam's apartment. While they had all talked Brooke had taken in all the details of Julian while he had concentrated on manipulating his sleek silver Jaguar XKR convertible through the congested traffic. The small confines of his prized car made it difficult to not be aware of him. "Julian what's wrong?"

"We have a small problem. I forgot how much this place is stalked by the Paparazzi." He admitted. "We can go somewhere else though."

"Why? It is not like Sam and I are not accustomed to dealing with them."

"I know but this weekend is supposed to be about Sam."

"We don't have to leave on my account. I don't mind having my name out there; it can only help me make a name for myself in the industry, right?" Sam pointed out. She was Brooke Davis' daughter and had been taught that the press had their uses.

Julian could not argue with that logic, as it was completely true. "Aren't you here on a mini vacation of sorts though?" He asked turning his head as he directed the question to Brooke.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and offered him a smile. "Dealing with them is second nature to me so they don't bother me a bit. Besides don't you have a new movie premiering next week?"

"Yes," he answered but didn't reveal how curious he was about how she knew that fact.

"So this will give you some free publicity and exposure. You shouldn't pass that up on our account especially if neither of us is objecting." Brooke reasoned.

Julian was not convinced that the exposure was going to be worth all the questions he was going to have to answer later on. Though Brooke Davis was not directly involved with the movie industry her name was well known from all the actresses who wore her famous designs to various award shows and in their everyday lives. In all this time their names and past connection had never been uncovered but that would change the moment they stepped out of the car as both of them were successful and recognized media targets.

"You know I would actually be disappointed if I didn't make the gossip pages while I am in town." Brooke confided with a pout. "So what do you say?"

"Yeah Julian, what do you say?" Sam echoed popping her head in between the two of them as she sat up and scooted closer to the front from her seat in the back.

Julian shook his head and threw up his hands in defeat. "How am I supposed to say no to the two of you?"

Sam laughed and exclaimed, "you're not! Let's go already!"

Julian chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm. He couldn't explain why he was so reluctant. As Brooke had mentioned both girls knew how to handle the reporters, they knew what they were getting themselves into. He didn't know if he was trying to shield them from becoming a public spectacle or if he was trying to keep his association with them private. Either way, he couldn't control the surge of protectiveness that consumed him where they were concerned. It was ironic because the Davis women were probably the strongest women he knew and didn't want anyone to protect them.

Brooke was almost as excited as Sam. She was suddenly feeling inspired and planned to use the paparazzi to her advantage just as she had been taught to. "Come on Producer Boy! We have got several hours to give them a show and I want to make front page of the Sunday Edition of the Celebrity Section." Brooke informed him as he parked in front of the valet service.

Julian had barely exited the car when dozens of flashes went off capturing Brooke, Sam and himself on film. Brooke smiled as did Sam. Julian wanted to scowl but found it difficult when it was clear how much the girls were enjoying themselves as they answered a couple questions the reporters shouted out. He took a second to admire the way she played the reporters in her provocative red dress and heels that accentuated her tones legs. There was something about her that just commanded attention, it was often difficult to remember that anyone else existed when Brooke Davis was around. It had always been that way for him, in any case. Sighing, Julian made his way around the car and Sam linked her arm thru one of his. Julian graciously offered his free arm to Brooke who accepted it without hesitation, slipping her arm thru his as she gave him one of her brilliant smiles and immediately pressed herself up against his side tightly, almost possessively. Julian shook his head slightly realizing that he was reading way too much into the simple, probably automatic gesture. She was just having some fun with the local press, it didn't mean a damn thing, he reminded himself silently. But the feel of her body so close to his for the second time in less than thirty minutes made it impossible to remember anything except how incredible she felt and how gorgeous she looked when she smiled up at him the way she currently was with her adorable dimples on prominent display.

He escorted the two lovely ladies by his side in to the restaurant with flash after flash following their every move. Once inside Julian tried to request a quite table in the back but Brooke quickly vetoed that idea and insisted on a table out on the patio. There was absolutely no way she was going to give up the perfect opportunity to flirt outrageously with Julian. The paps were the ideal cover and he would not suspect a thing while she subtly felt out the situation between them.

Brunch followed the precedent that had been established in the car ride over. Sam picked up any lulls in the flow of conversation which surprisingly were not many. Sam talked about school. Julian talked about the upcoming movie that was about to be released. Brooke filled them in all that was going on back home in Tree Hill. Brooke sat next to Julian while Sam was across the table from them. This allowed Brooke to touch Julian casually every chance she got whether it was her hand on his arm or patting him on the knee closest to her. She laughed at the jokes or stories he would tell, which really were funny and entertaining. She would smile, offer him compliments and flirt with him as the cameras caught every detail on film. She was careful not to come on too strong as she was aware that her actions were making Julian a little on edge and that pleased her. However he did seem to relax a bit more as brunch continued on, which pleased her further since she deducted that meant he was becoming more comfortable around her.

Shortly after they finished eating and their dishes had been cleared, Sam excused herself from the table to go to the ladies room. Julian took the opportunity to ask Brooke a question that had been in the back of his mind since they had arrived. "Can I ask you something Brooke?"

"Anything," she encouraged with a smile.

Her invitation tempted him to ask all sorts of things but he forced himself to remain focused on the original source of his curiosity. "How did you know about my new movie?" He had a theory but wanted confirmation from her.

Brooke took a small sip of her mimosa before she confessed, "I have been following your career closely ever since you left."

Her answer stunned him as that hadn't been what he had been expecting to hear. He had suspected that Sam may have mentioned it to her. He was not sure how he felt about this new revelation. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what that meant but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"You seem surprised." Brooke commented as she watched his eyes closely. They sometimes betrayed him if she looked closely enough, not always but there had been a few times during their brunch so far that Julian had not been quite as emotionless as he liked to think he was. Those moments gave her hope. "Why is that?" She inquired.

"I don't think it mattered much what I did since you were the one who cut the ties between us." He said in a much harsher tone than he had intended to. He just couldn't seem to keep the bitterness in check around her when he thought about their ending.

Brooke sighed before she turned to face him. "I will be the first to admit that I handled things poorly. I made some monumental mistakes but that doesn't mean that I didn't care about you Julian. I just didn't feel right about contacting you when nothing had changed. I know how badly I hurt you and I didn't want to keep doing it." She explained hoping he understood. She was tempted to declare her feelings for him but the surroundings in which they currently resided didn't exactly inspire heartfelt confessions. She wasn't ready to take that kind of chance yet. She was not comfortable risking the opportunity to spend more time with him or ruin the day for Sam either. She figured she would know when the time was right.

While he could accept her reasoning, her words didn't go very far with him. Anyone could give someone words but it was their actions that revealed the truth. Her silence in the past had caused a significant amount of damage to his heart and it was hard to disregard that. On some level he understood that she was being honest and sincere with him, he knew that she had cared for him just not enough to find a compromise to make things work and that is what made him so bitter about everything that had taken place after he had asked her and Sam to come with him. Part of him wanted to confront her on how her words made him feel but he wondered what would be the point. Their paths had been chosen for quite awhile now and the only reason they intersected at present was because of the young girl they both loved. For Sam's sake he would avoid topics of the past and continue to try to keep things friendly with Brooke while she was in town. He harbored no illusions that this weekend would be anything more once she returned to Tree Hill. He realized it would be too complicated to be friends with her now. It might have been different had they tried right after but Brooke had not because of the reasons she had just stated and he hadn't because his pride wouldn't have allowed him to appear any more pathetic than he already had.

After having spent the last hour talking and laughing the atmosphere turned a little too serious for either of their liking. Since Sam was not around to help change it, Julian decided to make an effort by giving her one of his charming, arrogant smirks as he asked, "how closely did you keep track of my career?"

Grateful that he was giving her an opening, she bestowed one of her gorgeous smiles upon him as she replied, "Sam and I made it a tradition to go to dinner and catch a late showing on opening night every time you released a new film. If it was an independent one, we flew to the nearest city that was showing it. She never told you?"

Julian shook his head in the negative. "No she never mentioned it." But then again how could she when that would have been violating his firm no Brooke rule, which Brooke was obviously unaware of. Apparently that meant that Sam had not been feeding her tips about him, which relieved and disappointed him at the same time. He hated feeling so confused, which seemed to be a constant state for him since Brooke had reappeared in his life. But even more than confused he was extremely touched that the two of them cared so much about his accomplishments and celebrated them in their own way. "Thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome. I know how important it was for you to make a name for yourself beyond you father. I hope he is proud of you! I know Sam is and for what it is worth, so am I." From the moment he had shared his situation with her on the couch during their first business meeting / date, she had empathized with his dilemma to prove himself to his father and she had always believed that he would do exactly as he had dreamed of one day. While she deeply regretted not being witness to that first hand, she was so happy that Julian had finally reached the goal he had set for himself.

He wished her opinion didn't matter so much but it did and her words moved him far more than he was comfortable with.

Brooke raised her champagne glass of mimosa and toasted, "here is to that day having finally come for you!"

Julian raised his glass and tapped it against hers impressed that she had remembered their conversation and similar toast from their first night together. It was nice to realize she recalled events from their relationship as well, though he remembered everything with vivid clarity. They both finished their drinks just in time for Sam to return to the table and reclaim her seat.

Julian thought her timing couldn't have been better. Being alone with Brooke was too intense for him. She was making his head spin and it had nothing to do with the alcohol he had with his meal. He was afraid he was being drawn right back to the place he fought like hell to be free of the past eighteen months. He could feel himself being beckoned back into her web by the tangle of emotions inside of him and he felt absolutely powerless to resist it.

Sam noticed the heaviness that seemed to have settled over Brooke and Julian in her absence. She quickly engaged Brooke in some of their typical repartee from when he had picked them up earlier. Sam was merciless in her teasing and Brooke matched her daughter with some clever comebacks. Julian was quickly pulled from his ominous thoughts enough to appreciatehow entertaining the Davis women could be when they bantered back and forth. He would occasionally play referee for them when Sam went too far over the line and he could sense Brooke was losing her patience. He had forgotten how much fun he had around them. He had _**almost**_ forgotten how incredible it felt to be included as part of their family unit. Being with them today was a blessing and a curse and he wasn't sure which one outweighed the other. He supposed he would find that answer later on in the night when he was replaying the events from the day in his head.

Julian took care of the bill after a brief argument with Brooke who pouted about the outcome of the debate over the check. Sam informed them of some of the events that were taking place on campus and asked for their ideas of what they would like to do. After a plan had been made they walked out of the restaurant with their arms linked like they had earlier. They exited the beautiful restaurant only to be greeted with more flashes in their faces. The reporters tried to get some answers as to the nature of their meeting while they waited for the valet to bring their car around. Though Brooke was gracious in her responses to them she gave nothing away, she had no intention of making their jobs easy. She was using them as a resource to help her with Julian and the fact that she was providing material for a story was not her concern. The media was going to spin it however they wanted to and while she was looking forward to seeing the end result she was not going to go out of her way.

Julian's car was brought around to where they stood and rather than wait for the valet, Julian opened the passenger's side door. While he watched Sam hop into the back seat Brooke took advantage of the Julian's close proximity to reach up and place a lingering kiss on his cheek, whispering, "thank you" as she pulled back. Oblivious to the commotion of the reporters over this latest development, Brooke smiled up at Julian as she searched his eyes for a reaction. She saw surprise register in his chocolate gaze but other than that she could discern nothing concrete from him as he nodded in response to her quietly spoken words.

To say that Julian had been surprised would be a complete understatement to the fact that his heart was racing considerably faster than its normal rate the moment her soft lips had pressed against his cheek. For an instant he had been so damn tempted to turn his head just a bit and kiss her for real giving the media some very note worthy pictures indeed. But he checked his impulse because there wasn't a doubt in his mind that had he started kissing her he never would have been able to stop. Brooke Davis was the one thing in this life that he had no immunity against and that made her extremely dangerous to his well being. It was essential that he remember this for the remainder of the time he spent with her. Though he was certain that kiss was only for show he finally comprehended why it was so important that he be on his guard around her because as much as he wanted to think differently she affected him in ways he couldn't control. Only a fool would give her a chance to break his heart again and he stopped being a fool for Brooke Davis a long time ago.

As soon as Brooke had settled into her seat Julian slammed her door shut with more force than the action required. Brooke watched him with inquisitive eyes as he rounded the car trying to gauge his mood. Sam leaned forward in her seat and whispered in Brooke's ear, "I am sorry I underestimated you! You are getting to him so keep on doing whatever it is you are because it is obviously working."

As Julian got into the car Brooke wasn't convinced she would agree with her daughter's assessment of the situation, not based on the sudden change in Julian's demeanor.

**A/N 2: So was it worth the wait? I hope so. I would really love to know what you thought of it thought of it…good or bad! Because your opinions are the ones that really matter!! :D Again THANK YOU for taking the time to read this and share your thoughts with me. I am looking forward to hearing any reactions or criticisms you may have. **

**Preview for Chapter 6: Over protective Julian and dinner. **

**Preview for Chapter 7: Brooke and Julian alone time.**

**I would also like to take this time to thank a couple people who left reviews that I was not able to respond to earlier.**

**Sab~ Thank you for your fantastic review!!! I am so grateful that you took so much time to share your thoughts and reactions with me. I am thrilled that you are loving the story! I agree with you Julian has definitely suffered a huge heartbreak with Brooke. And because of that I think it is safe to say he isn't going to be giving in quite so easily. He may still have feelings but he is going to fight them as much as he can. But then he hasn't experienced a stubborn and focused Brooke Davis either yet. So that certainly changes the dynamics of things. LOL**

**I am a huge fan of the Sam and Julian relationship. Julian is so amazing with her and I definitely wanted to make that a strong presence in this story. I am glad you are enjoying the two of them. I have more planned too throughout the remaining chapters. Next chapter is going to have a really cute father like moment for Julian in regards to Sam. When Julian first appeared in TH I saw him as the quintessential bachelor but I think Brooke and Sam changed his outlook and inspired dreams he didn't know he had. I am so happy that you enjoyed the fact that Brooke and Sam made him want a family.**

**For the record I cannot help but love the guy either! Julian is my favorite male character and rivals my love for Brooke. LOL**

**All I will say about the whole Vanessa thing is be careful what you wish for. LOL I don't want to give too much way but I did want to comment on your thoughts about it.**

**I thought it was only fair that Brooke apologize for her behavior since she did in fact start it. LOL Julian is too great of a guy not to forgive her though. I agree it is wonderful that Brooke can finally admit she loves him. Please feel free to say it to your heart's content. LOL**

**More BJu interaction is on the way along with Sam and a few other people (no one from Tree Hill though). Brooke and Julian alone time is on the horizon as well. **

**Aw I am thrilled to hear that my story can move you so much. That is one of the best compliments a writer can ever receive. I know the power and effect words can have on someone and it warms my heart to know that I can have such an impact on my readers. That is one of the highest praises I could ever receive. THANK YOU!!!! I hope you will let me know what you thought of this latest update! **

**Vette~ Thank you for the reassurance about how I portrayed Julian's thoughts. I have a fear of going over the top or getting carried away when I write heartbroken characters. It eases my mind to hear that my phenomenal readers can find what I write believable and true to these amazing characters. I am so happy that you are loved update! Thank you so much for this awesome review! **

**Jessy~ Hmm, you made a great observation about Julian realizing his feelings for Brooke. I don't want to give too much away but let's just say that he isn't going to make things easy. LOL I am glad that you are enjoying the relationship with Sam and Julian. I love that he worries about her as well. I think you will really like what I have planned for a scene in Ch. 6 based on your comments regarding them. :) Your wish for drama and a Jeaslous!Brooke will definitely be granted in a few chapters, though it might be on a lesser scale than you are anticipating. I do hope you enjoy what I have planned though. I promise these two are not going to have an easy road. Thank you so much for sharing all of your thoughts and wishes for this story! I hope you will continue to share more with me as well. I enjoy reading them tremendously! It makes me ridiculously happy to know that you think this story is terrific! I am having so much fun sharing it with you and all the rest of the fabulous readers! **

**Sunshine~ I am so glad you approved of the length of the last chapter and didn't get bored reading it! That is a huge relief to me. You are probably right about my nerves being a permanent thing whenever I post something. LOL Though I wish that were not the case. I am so glad you don't mind my leaving you notes in response to your reviews. I can promise that as much as you enjoy my notes I am probably ten times more excited to see a review from you! I love hearing what readers have to say about this story! Thank you so much for all of your lovely compliments! I am ecstatic to know that you could picture it all. I understand why you might be a bit mad at Brooke for the hurt she caused Julian, to be honest I was to. She does regret that deeply and she is going to try and make up for that. I agree with you Julian is under no obligation to Sam but the fact that he loves her as much as any father speak volumes for his character! Julian has an amazing heart, it is just as big as Brooke's. I love the relationship Julian shares with Sam. There are more Julian father-like moments to come throughout the story. I have yet to reveal a few other things he has done for Sam over the years. :) I am so happy that you agreed with the way I handled the Brulian reconciliation after their disagreement in Sam's apartment. It was only fair that Brooke take the first steps to fixing things. I still have to figure out how Vanessa is going to be with Brooke. I am torn, part of me wants her to be catty as well. I have some things written for that scene already but it is not completely finalized yet. Thank you for sharing your opinion on her and I will definitely take that into consideration. I also agree with your suggestion to not have Brooke play any games like making Julian jealous! While I would be the first to admit Jealous!Julian is hot, I think Brooke needs to tread carefully after all the damage she inflicted on him with her carelessness from before. Thank you for all of your ideas and I do hope you will continue to share them with me. They are inspiring and if I can work them in I am more than willing to do that! Thank you so much for taking the time read this. I appreciate you sharing all of your thoughts with me. I am pleased that you are enjoying the story as much as you! I hope to hear from you again soon as well. **

**Rebecca~ Thank you so much for all of your great compliments! I am so glad that you are liking the intensity of emotions from Julian. I have a feeling you will be seeing more of that as I seem to be writing more of his thoughts than Brooke's, though I do hope that changes. I want to feature them both equally as they deserve to have each of their perspectives told. I gave you a tease of flirting Brooke and Julian in this chapter and I want you to know there is more to come. I am trying to build them up slowly and keep it fairly realistic for the situation they find themselves in. So yes BJu flirting is going to be a recurring theme throughout the next several chapters. ;) You will not see Vanessa for a few chapters yet (either Ch. 8 or 9, depending how BJu alone time goes). I want to establish a bit more foundation for Brooke and Julian before Vanessa stirs things up. LOL Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story! I love hearing what you had to say! **

**Nora~ Thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments! I am so happy that you enjoyed the chapter. Yeah I did make Julian devastated, didn't I? It is the only way I could write him as the scene from the airport kept flashing through my mind. He just looked so devastated when he left TH and in my mind there was no way he was going to get over Brooke so easily. He was getting better but now hmm, I think he is having a bit of a challenging time again. I am so happy that you found hope with Brooke's line to Julian about her gratitude for a second chance. That is the exact reaction I was hoping for. You will have to read more to find out how the rest plays out for our favorite couple! :D It makes me extremely happy to know that you are enjoying the story and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me!!**

**Sab~ LOL I love that you took the time to share your thoughts with me again as well as the song. It too reminds me of Brooke and Julian when I first heard it, so much so in fact that I added it to my iPod. Well with the exception of believing that anyone can love Julian better than Brooke, once she finally gets her act together! LOL Which thankfully she finally has!!! It means so much to hear that my story is haunting you. That often happens to me as well with Brooke and Julian stories. :D I love songs that remind me of Brooke and Julian! It was great to hear from you again! I am sorry for keeping you waiting so long for this update. Thank you for your patience with me and not forgetting about this story! Thank you again for all of the beautiful compliments you have left for me!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **_** I am truly sorry that I have taken this long to post something. This chapter gave me quite a bit of trouble and kind of took on a life of its own. LOL The dinner scene gave me a severe case of writer's block and now that I think I have finally found a flow for it I realized that this chapter was kind of getting too long. So I am breaking it up and the next chapter will be devoted entirely to the dinner scene. I have mixed emotions about this but I am so beyond frustrated that I settled for posting it just so I can move on. I hope that you are not disappointed by this chapter, as the thought of that sincerely disturbs me. You have been so great to me and I feel compelled to give you my best in return. I try to accomplish that goal but I have to wonder about the results of my efforts. So now it is my turn to wait for your opinions. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for all of your incredible reviews!! I cannot begin to tell you how inspiring each one of them is to me. Sharing this story with you is such a pleasure for me but the best part about it is hearing your thoughts on it! Thank you to everyone for taking the time to review, alert and favorite this story! I am extremely blessed to have readers as amazing as you all are!! I have detained you long enough…Please let me know what you think…good or bad! I really do hope you like it though! On the bright side of things, this is a very LONG update to make up for the ridiculous waiting period in between updates. **_

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH. I am also borrowing the title of the chapter from P!nk even though the song lyrics have nothing to do with the chapter. I just thought the title would be a good one for this update. All mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

**Chapter 6: Family Portrait **

An hour had passed since they had left the restaurant and Brooke hoped that Julian wasn't brooding any longer. If he was, he certainly gave no outward indication of it. Upon arriving at the college Brooke had altered their originally agreed upon plans to include joining one of the official tours of the campus rather than just have Sam show them around. Brooke thought it might be better for all three of them since Julian had fallen in to such a quiet mood all of a sudden. She hoped the change of plans would remove any pressure Julian may have been feeling from either Sam or herself by being around a crowd of people. As soon as the tour began Sam had started complaining about how boring the tour was and she continued throughout it, causing Julian and Brooke to erupt in laughter often in response to the young girl's sarcastic comments. Despite the fact that once Sam had begun her own commentary they had trailed to the back of the group however that wasn't enough for the tour guide not to notice them. She never said anything instead the intimidating young girl glared at them making Brooke feel like the disruptive student she had often been in high school. Not even Julian's charming grin could faze the girl into easing off on the dirty looks directed at the trio, which led Sam to conclude that their guide clearly wasn't into guys. Brooke knew this because Sam had shared her hypothesis with them and Brooke silently agreed. Brooke realized she should be more adult about the situation but it was difficult to discourage her when most of Sam's sarcastic remarks were true and she made the tour infinitely more entertaining. Brooke did not have the heart to keep her precious daughter in check if it meant that Julian would stop laughing and smiling. That was a better alternative to him being so withdrawn.

For the most part Brooke was able to keep her focus on the tour though she was guilty of allowing her mind to drift a time or two. It was during those instances that she would wonder about what had been going on inside of Julian's head when he had been silent. His facial expressions had given nothing away. She made a concerted effort to try not to over analyze too much as she replayed the events over in her thoughts. The only thing that she kept coming back to was the _friendly _kiss she had placed on his cheek. Up until then Julian had seemed fairly receptive to her flirting, not that he reciprocated it or even encouraged it, but he had at least seemed somewhat amused by her antics. She wondered why he was so adverse to that specific action. She was tempted , extremely tempted, to push him even more to see if she could get a greater response from him. She would welcome any kind of effect really including anger because at least she could equate that with passion. The one thing she could not tolerate from him was indifference that would truly be the worst possible response, in her mind that would mean he no longer cared. To her immense relief, he had yet to show any signs of that particular emotion. Rather than push her luck she decided it would be best to refrain for now since ultimately this was their time with Sam. She wasn't ready to admit defeat and she planned to resume as soon as they left the campus. She hoped that her holding pattern would lull him into a false sense of security and allow him to lower his guard with her. If she planned to figure out what his feelings for her were, she needed him to stop being so reserved around her. Content with that strategy Brooke returned her attention back to the tour that was beginning to wrap up.

Julian was glad that his sullen mood hadn't lasted very long. He was not the type of guy who brooded about things for an extended period of time. There only seemed to be one subject that had the power to keep him down longer than he would like and that was Brooke Davis. It would have been so easy to let the incident with Brooke linger in his mind but he kept pushing it away trying not to let his frustration show. It was especially hard to maintain a bad mood in Sam's company. As much as he would like to devote time to figuring out Brooke's current actions, now was not the time, not during the tour. He was hoping that by making a concerted effort not to think about the flirtatious brunette she would eventually fade to the background of his mind permanently and not haunt him in the long hours of the night like he feared.

He was finally able to relax as the afternoon wore on. Brooke had eased off the flirting significantly to the point of non-existent really and he was beginning to believe that everything she had done at the restaurant actually had been for the paparazzi's benefit. He refused to admit to the fact that knowing it had been all for show was rather disappointing. On some level he had secretly enjoyed her attention and anticipating her next move. He had enjoyed witnessing the fun side of Brooke Davis, something he didn't think he had seen enough of when they were together because things got so intense so quickly. He realized he couldn't have it both ways with Brooke now though and convinced himself that it was best if she were this way rather than being all flirty with him. That kind of behavior would only blur the lines between them and the situation was delicate already without adding that kind of conflict into the equation. Instead he resolved to just appreciate the remarkable women in his company and not give any more thought to Brooke's earlier conduct.

The three of them attended a faculty meet and greet tea party for the freshmen that was held in the later part of the afternoon. It was a crowded event with students and their parents mingling with professors they did and did not know. Sam's first introduction really took Julian by surprise though. Upon their arrival Sam quickly spotted her favorite professor who was teaching an intro level class for the "History of the American Motion Picture", one of the few classes she was actually allowed to take until she reached upper division status in her collegiate career. On their way over to her professor Sam quickly explained her significance to Brooke and Julian. After Sam greeted her professor she proceeded to include Brooke and Julian into the conversation by making formal introductions between the three adults.

There was a bit of a delay before Julian engaged in the exchange due to the fact that he was in shock over how Sam had introduced him, her words "these are my parents Julian Baker and Brooke Davis," echoing in his head. He had expected her to say something along the lines of this is Julian Baker and my mother Brooke Davis, he had never dreamed she would refer to him as her parent or giving him anything near the title of being her father. He couldn't begin to explain how much those words meant to him or how deeply they effected him. Thankfully Brooke seemed to be aware of how overcome he was and quickly covered for him by manipulating the professor in small talk. Julian eventually recovered to join in and the conversation lasted several minutes as they talked briefly about the film industry before moving on to talk about how impressive a student Sam was.

Surprisingly Sam didn't have much to say as the three adults discussed her though Julian swore he saw her flush with embarrassment several times through the course of the discussion. It was rare to see Sam so quiet and Julian made a mental note to tease her about it later on. Sam noticed several students from her class lingering in the area and politely brought the conversation to a close. After telling the professor it was a pleasure to meet her Brooke, Julian and Sam walked away.

"I hope you don't mind that I introduced you that way. I thought it would be easier than explaining the dynamics between us." Sam replied quietly as they maneuvered around the busy room.

"That makes sense." Julian agreed.

"But more importantly that is how I see it, you are the only father I have ever known Julian." She confessed in a rare moment of shyness.

Julian nodded his head incapable of giving a proper response due to the fact that he couldn't speak past the mass of emotion that settled in his throat. Fortunately Sam seemed to understand why he was so silent, knowing it was probably something close to how she had felt the first time Brooke brought up the subject of adopting her. She offered him a smile and gave him time to process the shock of hearing the words out loud for the very first time in such a formal setting.

It was difficult for Brooke not to be affected as well from the scene she had just witnessed. "I think it is perfect!" She replied with an emotional smile. She adored the closeness that Sam and Julian shared. It really shouldn't have amazed her that even after their messy break up Julian never once cut Sam out of his life. He remained as active in her life as he could despite the distance. It honestly shouldn't have amazed her but it did. She didn't know many guys who would have continued to nurture a relationship with a smartass teenage girl who was not bound to them in any way. Julian could have walked away and never spoken to either one of them again but he hadn't. Brooke thought about how Owen had run away so quickly when she had first told him about wanting to adopt and even later after he tried to win her back he had never accepted Sam the way Julian had. Julian had genuinely wanted to develop a real relationship with Sam as much as he had with her. He had never once used Sam as a way to get to her and she admired that about him. Julian had proven himself in a thousand different ways to be an incredible guy, unlike any she had ever known, she had just been too scared to realize that until the damage was done. She hoped with everything she had in her that it wasn't too late to fix things.

"Thank you." He said to both girls for bestowing such an honor upon him. In that moment he was reminded of how extremely lucky he was. If Brooke had been any other woman, other than the one she was, the one who possessed such an extraordinary heart, he knew that Sam wouldn't be in his life today. Brooke could have easily prevented him from having any contact with Sam the moment he left Tree Hill but she never interfered. He understood that Brooke was a large part of why he had Sam in his life and for that he would always be grateful to her. She didn't have to share her daughter with him and yet she did. He shouldn't have been amazed by the depth of her generosity but he was.

Reaching her tolerance for heartwarming moments such as the one that had just occurred, Sam quickly led them over to another one of her professors and began the process all over again. They spent the afternoon meeting all of Sam's teachers and some that she didn't even know but she had been aware of their reputations among the students. Despite the complicated dynamics between the three of them, they had no trouble blending in like any other family in the room. To any outsider they appeared like a true family unit, laughing, smiling, teasing one another and mingling flawlessly with everyone. Brooke and Julian didn't have to act like proud parents because that is what they were and it showed whenever they spoke of Sam. But then again Sam was equally proud of the two people she was blessed to call her parents.

No matter how many times Julian heard himself being referred to as her parent; it never failed to warm his heart. Each time Brooke heard the words she fought a battle between the feeling of rightness those words produced and being consumed with so much guilt because she had been the one to prevent them from being the truth! Not only did she lose the guy because of her fears, she cheated Sam out of having a real father and she wasn't sure she would ever forgive herself for that. Brooke Davis, former party girl extraordinaire called upon every trick she possessed and maintained a perfect smile to conceal the heaviness in her heart. She was proud of her daughter and didn't welcome this newfound revelation at the present time. Her frustration with herself gave her the determination she needed to deal with the turmoil she carried after she survived the weekend.

After the tea party they found themselves wandering around the main quad as dusk started to take over the sky. They were in the middle of discussing their options for what to do next when Sam suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "oh there is Daniel! I will be right back!" She made her escape before either of them could object. Brooke smiled at how giddy her daughter had become at the sight of her boyfriend. It wasn't often that Sam displayed such enthusiasm towards anything, let alone a boy.

Julian watched in confusions as Sam practically bounced off to greet a sandy blonde haired guy standing across the quad. "Who the hell is Daniel?" Julian asked Brooke.

Brooke bit back a smile at his reaction to the unidentified stranger. "The guy Sam is seeing."

"Since when?" Julian demanded to know, narrowing his eyes into a scowl at the boy who was now hugging his Samson.

"A few weeks now I think."

"And I am just now hearing about this!" He grumbled. "Why hasn't she mentioned him to me before?"

Brooke couldn't hold back her smile any longer, not when she was this amused with his attitude. "Has she made it a habit of telling you who she dates?"

"Well no, not unless she is having some trouble and needs a male's perspective on things." He admitted.

"There you go then. I guess things are going well and therefore she hasn't been in need of your valuable advice yet."

"That still doesn't explain why she hasn't said something to me about him."

"Oh I think it explains a lot." She said patiently.

Still not having taking his eyes off of Sam and the tool she was with he inquired, "what do you know about him?"

"His name is Daniel."

"Yeah I got that part. Please tell me you know more about him than that."

"Why? Are you planning to run a background check on the kid?" She said with a giggle.

Her laughter finally broke the trance Julian had been under as he transferred his glare from the young boy onto Brooke, which caused her to laugh even more. She had no control over it. Seeing Julian in protective mode was absolutely adorable. It was a good thing he hadn't been around the last several years. Sam would have never had a social life if Julian had been there. He would have intimidated all the guys who had been interested in Sam during high school and there had been quite a few of them.

"It is a strong possibility."

"Julian be serious!"

"Who says I am not?"

"If you are not going to be reasonable about this, I will not share with you what I know."

"That is not fair. This is for Sam's sake."

Brooke stared at him. "Sam wouldn't thank you for running a background check on him."

"She wouldn't have to know." He argued.

"Julian!" She exclaimed in exasperation.

"Fine!"

Brooke nodded in approval. "Actually they have quite a bit in common it seems. They are both adopted, which happened in his teens as well. His father is a very successful architect and his mother is a therapist, though I am not sure what she specializes in. Daniel is from Berkley, a freshman here at UCLA and he wants to become a lawyer like his grandfather."

"A lawyer, great that means he is a smooth talker, ready to make anyone believe anything. He is definitely not to be trusted Brooke."

"Yeah I can totally see why she would tell you about him." She deadpanned.

Julian grabbed her hand and said "come on." He didn't give her a chance to respond before he started pulling her in the direction of Sam and Daniel, who had yet to remove his hand from Sam's waist as they talked facing one another, completely oblivious to the rest of the world around them.

"What are you doing? Where are we going? You can't spy on them!"

"Of course we can't spy on them. Why would we do that when we are going to meet Daniel?"

"Oh no, we most certainly are not!" Brooke exclaimed as she tried to dig her high heels into the ground at his announcement. However his long strides were making it difficult to find purchase in the manicured grass. "If Sam had wanted us to meet him she would have invited us to go with her." She tried unsuccessfully to reason with him.

"Too bad she isn't here to get a vote."

"Julian, you cannot embarrass her. She really likes this guy."

"I don't want to embarrass her; I just want to meet him."

"You promise to behave yourself?" Brooke asked, deciding there was no use arguing and once she resigned herself to this fact she realized that Julian was holding her hand. She wondered if he was aware of it as well. She wasn't going to bring that to his attention though for fear he would let go of it. Instead she walked along beside him enjoying the feeling of rightness that settled over her as she moved her hand ever so slightly to link their fingers together. She smiled when she felt Julian squeeze her hand in response to her movement.

"Of course I am going to behave myself. It is not like I am going to punch him or anything. Only guys from Tree Hill do that." Julian mumbled. Though he had to admit the idea held some appeal since the rebel in question was practically molesting Sam in a public place. That alone should be enough to earn him a solid punch.

"What are you going to do then?" She gasped as a horrible thought occurred to her. "Please tell me you are not going to ask him what his intentions are towards Sam."

"Of course not," Julian scoffed, though the idea had certainly been in the back of his mind. He would figure out the best approach as soon as he was with them.

"Good because Sam would not appreciate that." Brooke warned him. "For the record, I think you are being ridiculous and the only reason I am going along with this is so I can keep you in line."

"So noted. For the record, I think you should be more concerned about this."

"Sam is a big girl; we have to trust her decisions."

"That doesn't mean I have to trust some guy neither of us knows with our girl." He countered.

There was that phrase again. It was obvious to Brooke now that it was no slip of the tongue, not when he had said it twice. It was apparent that was how he really thought of Sam, as being **their** girl, his and hers. His words melted her heart and caused an intense ache at the same time. In that moment she fell in love with him all over again as she realized just how much he loved Samantha. She knew they had always been close, she just hadn't comprehended that Julian loved Sam as much as she did. It had never occurred to her that Julian considered Sam as his daughter the way she did. Confronted with these facts now painfully reminded her exactly what she had given up. They really could have been the family Sam had always wanted then to be. Brooke could have had everything her heart desired all this time had she only let Julian in. She used to think it was so romantic to find the guy she would give it all up for. She had never understood the value of finding the guy who could make everyone of her dreams come true, if only she had enough faith in him and in herself, to let him. She had not figured that out until this very second. She wished she had listened to her heart and everyone around her who had advised her to take a chance. As much as she wished for that she knew it was a wasted effort because she couldn't erase the past, she could only focus on the present and once again she hoped that it wasn't too late to fix that monumental error in judgment.

Brooke was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized that they had closed the distance to the boy and girl in question until they were practically standing next to them. "I hope we are not interrupting." Julian replied in a tone that suggested quite the opposite, as it appeared that the two students were engrossed in a lively discussion.

"No, of course not," Sam answered with a pointed look at the boy in front of her before she gave her full attention to Brooke and Julian. She immediately noticed that Julian was holding Brooke's hand, before she could comment though Julian began to speak again.

"Good then perhaps you would like to introduce us to your 'friend'?" Julian suggested with a glare for the boy who had yet to release his daughter.

Sam witnessed Julian's hard look and turned to Brooke for help. Brooke looked at Julian and noticed the glare as well. She offered Sam's friend a welcoming smile in the hopes of counter acting Julian's hostility before she curved her body into Julian as she rose up on the tips of her toes and she braced her free hand against his chest to whisper in his ear, "you promised to behave."

Julian was momentarily distracted by the unexpected shiver that Brooke's warm breath and low voice produced along his body, not to mention the heat of her small hand against his chest. His gaze softened involuntarily as he turned his head into her hair and the hand that didn't hold Brooke's hand reached up to squeeze her waist and steady her in her heels as she pressed up against him. It was a very intimate pose to any onlooker and Sam was very pleased with their progress even as she anxiously waited to see the outcome of Brooke's efforts.

"I am," Julian countered softly in her ear. "I'm not punching him, am I?"

"Julian Marcus Baker!" She hissed into his ear.

He squeezed her waist again. "I am really trying here."

Brooke had her reservations but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Not glaring would be a really good start." She advised dropping back down to the ground so she could look up at him. The exchange had softened his features considerably. Satisfied with the change, Brooke turned back to face the young couple, giving them both a reassuring smile. Sam gave her a slight nod to signal her gratitude.

"Daniel Atwood I would like you to meet my parents Julian Baker and Brooke Davis. Julian, mom, this is Daniel."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, I have heard so much about you," Daniel said politely as he shook hands with first Brooke and then Julian, who probably added more pressure than he usually did when he shook hands with someone. He was surprised when Daniel responded in kind but far from impressed. It was going to take a lot more than that to impress Julian when it came to Sam.

"I wish I could say that same but Sam has been a little mysterious about you." Julian remarked as he automatically reached for Brooke's hand again not conscious of the action, after he had to release it for the obligatory hand shake. He realized he was probably being a bit of an ass but he didn't care. If a little attitude scared Daniel off so easily then he wasn't the guy for his Samson. Daniel needed to know that just because Sam was interested in him that didn't mean he approved of him automatically. He had to earn Sam as far as he was concerned and prove he was worthy of the young girls affection. "But that is okay since it gives me an opportunity to form my own opinion about you." Julian added as he saw Sam toss a glare his way which he ignored.

Brooke rushed in to smooth over Julian's intimidation strategy with Daniel. "Guys don't like to hear about that kind of talk anyways. That is why it is called girl talk. Isn't that right, Sam?"

"That is right." She agreed. "It is privileged mother daughter talk. I wouldn't want to bore you with all the details Julian."

"Oh you could never be boring Samson. Wouldn't you agree, Daniel?"

Recognizing the trap of that trick question Brooke quickly intervened once again by saying, "well I have heard plenty about you and I am delighted to be able to finally meet you."

It was hard not to be charmed by Brooke and it seemed Daniel was no exception. "My mom is a huge fan of your designs. In fact whenever there is any special occasion or my father has any sort of business function, she always wears a B. Davis original."

"Well I certainly cannot fault her taste," Brooke teased. "It seems that your family can appreciate one-of-a-kind designs." Brooke said with a subtle glance at her daughter.

"Yes ma'am," he answer politely as he hugged Sam closer to him causing the young girl to blush and smile up at him before she rested her head against his chest.

The sight melted Brooke's heart, as it was obvious that the boy was completely smitten with her daughter.

"Are your parents here today? I would love to meet them."

"Yes they are, in fact Sam and I was just discussing the possibility of the three of you joining us for dinner tonight."

"Oh I don't think-" Sam began but Julian interrupted her by saying, "we would love to."

Sam and Brooke both gave him a suspicious look, wondering what he was up to now.

"Great!" Daniel replied despite the fact that Sam was suddenly tense in his arms.

"Did you have a specific place in mind?"

"We were thinking The Palm."

"Perfect!" Brooke exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

"Perfect!" Sam echoed though her voice lacked the enthusiasm of her mother's.

Julian smiled. "We are looking forward to it."

The four of them worked out the details of the time and agreed to meet Daniel and his parents at the restaurant. Throughout the entire encounter Julian observed that Daniel had yet to release his hold on Sam and she him as they stood in the circle of one another's arms. While the sight unsettled him, he also couldn't resist the spark of inspiration the sight before him triggered.

"You know Sammy I am rather shocked." Julian admitted suddenly causing three sets of eyes to focus on him.

Brooke immediately identified the mischievous glint sparking in his warm chocolate eyes and once again wondered where he could possibly be going with this. She instantly went on the alert and squeezed his hand in reminder of his promise. He squeezed her hand in return but that was all the response he gave her.

"Really and why is that?" Sam inquired.

"Well in light of what I have learned today I am just not sure that this is acceptable behavior from you." He answered vaguely as he gestured with his hand to her and Daniel.

Sam glanced to Brooke for assistance in her confusion but Brooke shrugged just as lost by Julian's statement.

"What exactly have I done?"

"Well someone informed me just this morning that what you are doing right now with Daniel is nothing more than foreplay." At the mention of the suggestive word Daniel immediately dropped his hands from around Sam's waist as if he had been burned. Julian bit back a triumphant smile at the boy's actions as well as the blush that appeared on Sam's face. Sam had no choice but to drop her arms from around him as well. More than satisfied with their reactions he continued on, "considering all the impressionable children running around on campus and all the parents who are paying money to such a fine establishment as this, the university might approve of this kind of behavior. They do have a certain image to maintain during parents weekend after all and such brazen behavior might give the wrong idea."

"Dude seriously!" Sam exclaimed.

Secretly there was a part of Brooke that was thoroughly amused by Julian's remarks. While she enjoyed the idea of Sam experiencing a taste of her own medicine from the scene she created at her apartment earlier this morning, Brooke didn't see this ending well if Julian was allowed to continue antagonizing Sam. She dug her nails into the back side of Julian's hand and refused to let go as he tried to shake her off. Brooke smiled pleasantly at Daniel, who was completely bewildered by Julian's words. "I am sorry Daniel; Julian is just having a bit of fun with Sam. It is sort of an inside joke that I am sure she will explain to later on. We're going to give you two a few minutes and then we can all meet up at the restaurant at seven."

"Thank you," Sam said to her mother as Brooke began to pull Julian away.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, finally being free to express himself about the pain her fingernails caused in his hand.

"You're lucky if all you walk away with from this is a few indentations in your hand." Brooke muttered as she put distance between Julian and Sam. "Remind me to send you the definition of the word 'behave'." Once they were far enough away that they couldn't hear anything Sam and Daniel said to one another Brooke stopped walking to glare at Julian and finally released his hand, which he immediately inspected for injuries.

Eventually he met her gaze and asked innocently, "what?"

Brooke shook her head, "you know what."

"I did behave! I didn't punch him."

"You had no reason to. All you accomplished with that little display was to embarrass Sam and make her friend extremely uncomfortable."

"Are you really mad that I had a little fun with her and the situation?"

"Oh I am not mad. But she certainly is and you are so on your own." She promised as they both turned to see Sam storming in their direction as Daniel walked off in the opposite one.

"Okay Julian what the hell was that!" She demanded as she punched him in the arm.

The kid had a solid punch behind her, Julian silently concluded as he barley resisted the urge to rub his arm in the spot that throbbed where she had hit him. "See only people from Tree Hill resort to violence first and then try to reason things out after the fact." Julian smirked as he directed his comment to Brooke.

Which only infuriated Sam, and she yelled at him again. "Focus Julian!"

He couldn't help but chuckle as she sounded so much like Brooke with that statement.

"Was that some plot gone wrong to impress Brooke with?" Sam guessed.

Brooke smiled briefly at the possibility but knew that wasn't what had motivated Julian in his uncharacteristic behavior.

"Not at all," he answered with a grin at her first theory.

"Payback for this morning?"

He shook his head, "nope. Though that was a side benefit," he confessed.

"UGH! Then what?" She asked in utter frustration.

"I am just letting him know that you have people in your life who are looking out for your best interests."

Sam rolled her eyes at his explanation. "Are you listening to this mom?"

"I am," she confirmed but refrained from getting any more involved. This was something the two of them needed to work out.

"Then could you please explain to Julian that I can handle this on my own and I don't need anyone looking out for me!"

It was clear that she was pretty pissed off with him and that didn't sit well with him at all. Sam never got mad at him. "Okay so maybe I went a little bit overboard."

"Maybe?"

Julian sighed. "Can you cut me some slack here Samson? This is my first time dealing with something like this."

Sam continued to stare angrily at him with her arms crossed over her chest for several minutes before she finally replied, "fine! But only if you promise to stop acting like such a jerk!"

"I will try." He agreed.

"You better try harder than you did," Brooke warned as she wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulder. "Let's go to the library next. We can print out a copy of the definition for behave so Julian can refer to it all night."

Sam laughed as did Brooke knowing that the moment had passed. Julian couldn't help but grin at both girls.

"So are we good again?"

"Yeah!" Sam agreed.

"It is not fun being on her bad side, is it?" Julian asked Brooke.

"No it isn't. I must admit it is nice to know she is capable of getting mad at you though considering how she thinks you hung the moon and stars. You are a tough act to follow Julian Baker!"

"No more that you are Brooke Davis!"

"Okay enough with the mutual admiration society! Both of you are wonderful blah, blah, blah and yes both of you are capable of pissing me off."

Brooke and Julian laughed as Julian walked over to the Davis women and slipped in between them to wrap an arm around each of them. Sam gave him a quick side hug as Julian kissed the top of her head while meeting Brooke's eyes. Brooke smiled as he winked at her.

"So since we have a bit of time to kill, where to next?" Julian asked.

"The library!" Brooke and Sam answered together.

"But we have already seen the library." Julian complained.

"Not the inside." Sam replied as she and Brooke dragged him in the direction of the building.

"So how serious are you and Daniel?" Julian quizzed as they walked to their destination.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Sam replied rolling her eyes.

"I wonder what gave me away, considering I just asked."

"I know that answer to that." Brooke teased, playfully sticking her tongue out at Julian.

"Now that is just not fair." Julian grumbled barely holding back a pout. Brooke and Sam laughed and proceeded to torture him until they reached their destination and for several more minutes there after just because they could. On the outside he did his best to appear annoyed with their antics but on the inside he could swear he could feel his heart smile, something he hadn't felt since he left Tree Hill.

**AN's 2: So as some of you who watched the OC might have guessed, I am going to be borrowing the couple who share my heart with BJu, I hope you don't mind. There are so many similarities between the two couples and I thought they would make great friends. They are going to make a BRIEF appearance and unwilling cause a few intense moments for Brooke and Julian, which I think is needed. I promise it is going to be JUST Brooke and Julian in Chapter 8 though. I realize for those who watched the OC, the timeline of things may be a bit off. I am most likely taking some huge creative liberties with the boy who was in the last 30 seconds of the OC finale since he might not be quite the same age as Sam. However since it was left so open-ended I figured I could get away with it. Haha! Thank you for reading…I am anxious to hear your reactions to it, so please share any thoughts you may have on this update. Or anything you would like to see happen between Brooke and Julian. Or anything you want them to talk about during their alone time. I have some ideas but I am welcome to hearing more and giving you what you want to see if I can work it in without interrupting the finale outcome of the story. THANK YOU!!! You are the BEST readers EVER, imho!! :D**

**Chapter 7 Preview: Dinner and an interesting walk down memory lane for Brooke and Julian…**

**Chapter 8 Preview: Brooke and Julian alone time! Plus BJu on the beach!**

**Chapter 9 Preview: Sam conspires once again, though the results aren't what she was hoping for. The long awaited scene…Brooke meets Vanessa!**

**Chapter 10 Preview: Sam has a heart to heart with Julian. **

**There will probably be two more chapters after this but I am not giving anything away about those just yet. :D**

**For my readers who I was not able to respond to their wonderful reviews earlier…**

_**Sab ~**_ _**I am so glad that you found the last update worth the wait! You are quite welcome for the note! It is the least I can do in response to your enthusiasm and amazingly kind words!!! I really do appreciate you taking the time to read and review this story as faithfully as you do!**_

_**I am happy that you enjoyed all of Sam's remarks. She was so much fun to write for! LOL I couldn't see her NOT helping Brooke get Julian back! :) I am also happy that you enjoyed the hug! That seemed to be everyone's favorite and I am relieved to hear that because I was afraid of how it would come off. I was afraid it would be too much! I am glad my fears were unfounded.**_

_**I love Protective!Julian as well! Actually I love Julian in every mode! LOL I agree with you, he is the perfect man! How could anyone not love him? LOL**_

_**I had to find a way for Brooke to prove to Julian that even though he was out of sight, he was never out of her mind, her thoughts or her heart. I am so happy that you enjoyed that moment between them. I realize I haven't given them as much alone time as I had hoped to but that should be changing in the next chapter or two, depending on how much material I can come up with.**_

_**The kiss was a lot of fun to write. I was tempted for Julian to make it into a real kiss but it would really be too soon! I am relieved that you can understand that though.**_

_**All I can say about Julian is that he is going to continue to be torn with his feelings for Brooke. I know that is not much of a reassurance. Just remember he is going up against Brooke Freaking Davis though!!! LOL**_

_**Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and wonderful compliments!!! I was very excited to hear that this story is your favorite one! That means so much to me! It is also very sweet of you to say that! As always, it was great to hear from you again. I hope the upcoming chapters are all you are anticipating them to be! **_

_**Jessy ~ I am so happy that you loved the last chapter!! I am glad that it you found it to be funny and that you loved Sam even more in this chapter. I have to say I did too. She is actually playing a bigger role in this than I had originally anticipated though. I am so relieved that no one seems to be annoyed by this fact. I know I keep saying this but she really is a lot of fun to write for, especially when she is giving Brulian grief. LOL**_

_**I am excited to hear that the Brulian hug was a highlight for you! That seems to be a general consensus so it seems I might be doing something right, LOL. Just kidding. I am glad it made you (and so many others) happy!!! If my readers are happy, that makes me happy, well actually it makes me ecstatic if I am being completely honest.**_

_**I didn't mean to break your Brulian heart with the ending though. I just had to do something to show that Julian isn't giving into the temptation that is Brooke Davis without a fight. I really do appreciate the comment about how Julian is coming across as distant and cold to you. I hadn't realized that and it gave me something to think about. While I don't want him to be a pushover with her, I don't want him to seem so cold either. I am going to try and be more conscious of this fact as I write the rest of this story. I would hate to go to the extreme in one way just to avoid being something else, does that make sense? I hope so. Thank you for sharing your impression with me. I will warn you that there is probably one more scene in both Chapter 7 or 8 that you may not like but after that he should start to warm up a bit more towards Brooke. I am hoping that you will understand why he is behaving the way he is when all is said and done. But if I haven't done my job, I hope you will let me know that as well. I welcome constructive comments just as much as I do any other comments my readers feel compelled to share with me!!!**_

_**Be careful what you invite with your words about enjoying drama, I may take that as a challenge to see just how much you can take when it comes to Brulian. LOL Just kidding but there is some definite drama of sorts coming up. I am thrilled to hear that you are eager for the rest of the story to play out! I am so excited to have your attention! I wish I were able to update as fast as you would like. I wish I were the kind of writer who can give you the speedy updates you deserve and yet still deliver the same quality you all are accustomed to. Thank you for your patience with me though and the faith that it will be worth it in the end. I hope I don't disappoint you! Thank you for all of your amazing comments! Thank you for taking the time to share them with me!!! I cannot tell you how much that means to me!!! **_

_**Arielle ~ Thank you so much for all of your amazing compliments, I only wish I could be a writer. However sharing my story with all of you is the next best thing to being a published author. This is probably as close as I will get to that dream being realized and I am more than okay with that. I do appreciate the fact that you enjoy my writing enough to think that though. I agree with you, Sam really is not afraid to speak her mind. I wish I could be more like her in that respect. LOL She is a lot of fun to write for and I enjoy writing her dialogue since she knows very little boundaries with her words. LOL I would like to think that at the very least Sam's words will have some kind of impact on Brooke and Julian since she is closest with both of them. They seem to need all the help they can get. :)**_

_**I agree with you again, how can anyone not be affected by Julian's grin! It is too adorable for words and something tells me that the fabulous Mr. Nichols probably knows how to use it to his advantage, just like Julian. :D **_

_**I am relieved that you are not disappointed by the idea of Julian seeing someone. I think it is time for Brooke to fight for him as well. I have a couple scenes planned out regarding this. I hope you will like them.**_

_**I promise the Brooke and Julian alone time is coming up in either the next update or the one following since this current one didn't work out the way I had originally intended! I hope you enjoy angst, because that is what I am hoping to achieve with the futures chapter. **_

_**I am so happy you enjoyed the kiss. I was tempted to make it a real one but I think they deserve better than that. It would be much too personal to want an audience for. When they do share their first kiss it is going to be an amazing one! Well I hope anyway! They have a lot of emotions waiting to be released. As to when that will happen, you will have to stay tuned for that answer. LOL **_

_**Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how much you are enjoying the story! It was great to hear your thoughts! **_

_**Rebecca ~ Awww, thank you so much!!! I am so glad that you loved the update and enjoyed their family time together. They have a lot of missed time to make up for and I thought this would be a nice start. :)  
**_

_**I loved writing the brunch! Flirty!Brooke is a lot of fun to write for!! Almost as much as out of control / mischievous Sam!!! LOL It amazes me how much fun this whole story has been to write! But I think the best thing about it, has been everyone's reaction to it!! You all make this a thousand times more fun for me!!!!**_

_**The conversation you are wishing for is coming up. They will talk more in the next chapter or two but you may have to wait a bit longer for Julian to open up to Brooke the way you are wanting him to. Beyond that my lips are sealed as to how long Brooke will remain in town and how it will all play out! LOL I want to keep your interest after all. :)**_

_**Thank you for mentioning how realistic this story seems to be. I am trying to keep it that way and I appreciate that you noticed it. I don't want to drag it out, nor do I want this to seemed rushed. I am trying to find a balance since I believe these two have issues they need to work out in their heads and hearts before they can finally get things out in the open.**_

_**I was wondering when someone would mention Vanessa's reaction to the photos. I haven't actually written that scene out yet but I have some ideas on how I think it will go. But if you have something you would like to see, I would love to hear it. I am not set on anything when it comes to her and her behavior. LOL**_

_**Thank you again for the time to share your reactions to this story and how it is unfolding. I loved reading everything you had to say! I hope to hear from you again soon! **_

_**Nora ~ I am so happy that you had fun reading the last update. It really was a lot of fun to write! Sam got a bit away from me, I think. LOL The hug seemed to be a hit with everyone and that excites me since I wasn't sure if I was putting too much emphasis on it, or not enough.**_

_**Julian is going to fight her. I don't think it would be realistic of him to just welcome her with open arms after all this time. Especially when he has no idea how she feels about him. Brooke has a long way to go in proving to Julian how much she loves him. That can't really happen until she confides her feelings to him though. LOL You are right in the fact that they do need to have an honest conversation with one another. I wonder how much more stubborn these two can get. LOL**_

_**I am not sure I am going to be able to come up with a proper scenario that involves protective Julian towards Brooke. Though I hope you enjoyed OverProtective!Julian towards Sam in this current chapter! :) I will try and play with your suggestion though. I have a small idea taking root, so hopefully I can make something more out of it for you.**_

_**Thank you so much for taking the time to give such wonderful feedback and suggestions! I enjoyed hearing your thoughts!!! **_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I cannot even begin to describe the joy I have from sharing this story with all of you! I am so excited to read all of the amazing reviews you all have left for me thus far and I am in shock that I have reached the 100 mark. I never expected to for this story to get the extraordinary response that it has and I am totally blown away with every review!! Every one of you has given me a tremendous gift with all of your lovely words! Once again THANK YOU a million times over for making my dreams a reality! I am so thrilled with everyone's enthusiasm for the cameo appearance by Ryan and Taylor. I was so nervous about how that news would be received. But that is nothing compared to how nervous I am about this chapter. I have my doubts about it but I shall let my wonderful readers decide how it turned out. This is basically a filler chapter. Thank you for embracing the idea of this dinner though, it means a lot that I got to mix up my two favorite TV couples. I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts!! Thank you for taking the time to read this and share in this journey with me! **

**I haven't done this yet but I would like to dedicate this chapter to two of my readers…Kris and Vette! Thank you girls for your ideas about the interaction between BJu and RT, I hope I did them justice. Kris, I know you have been waiting for this for a really long time. Thank you for your patience as well your willingness to give my non-OC stories a chance. I am honored and so happy that you are such a fan of BJu as well and I appreciate all of your support over the years. It wouldn't be the same without you!!! Vette, it was such a great surprise when I discovered you were such a huge RT fan! Thank you for your enthusiasm for this particular scene / chapter! I have been looking forward to seeing the tow of your reactions to this almost since the beginning when I figured out a way to incorporate this into the story! LOL I hope I didn't disappoint either of you (or anyone else for that matter)!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH or the OC and I am borrowing the title of the chapter, Battlefield, from Jordin Sparks. All mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

**Chapter 7: Battlefield**

Julian didn't know why Brooke and Sam had been so stressed about dinner. In his estimation it seemed to be going just fine to him. Taylor and Brooke instantly connected talking about designer clothes, trips to Paris, commiserating over their evil bitch mothers to the point that they were actually swapping horror stories to see who had the worst one. Julian thought it was a draw but then again Taylor never tried to work with her hateful mother so maybe that gave Brooke a slight edge. He wasn't surprised that the conversation flowed between both women since they had similar friendly, upbeat personalities. Ryan, who sat next to his wife and across from Julian, was quiet compared to his wife though Julian and he struck up several lengthy conversations about their work and growing up in California. While all of the adults conversed, that left Sam, who in between Julian and Daniel, who sat next to his father Ryan, to entertain themselves.

By the time dinner arrived all six of them were involved in the same discussion which included sharing embarrassing stories about Sam and Daniel, as parents of the young adults, it was expected of them. Daniel and Sam accepted the teasing in good fun. Unfortunately Julian didn't have that many stories to contribute since he had missed out on so much of Sam's life the past couple years, which he absolutely hated but knew there was nothing he could do about. He only allowed himself a moment to reflect on that before enjoying hearing about the stories as much as Taylor, Ryan and Daniel seemed to. He loved how animated Brooke was while she was telling several amusing adventures that Sam had failed to mention to him. There were a few times he found himself getting lost in the sound of her voice which had always affected him in the past and it seemed he still wasn't immune to it. It was still the sexiest he had ever heard and he had to force himself to break free of the things it did to his head, not to mention his body. Julian considered himself very fortunate that they were in the presence of other people since Brooke hadn't resumed any of her flirtatious behavior from brunch. He wasn't sure what would have happened if she had, as he could only resist her for so long.

Brooke was enjoying herself immensely. She couldn't explain how nice it was to be able to share her experiences with Sam with another young couple close to her own age, who could understand the trials of raising a teenager. Granted Naley and Leyton could understand to an extent since they had kids of their own but it was different for Brooke since Sam had come into her life just a few years shy of being an adult. Ryan and Taylor could relate on a whole other level than her best friends because their situation with Daniel had been so comparable to hers with Sam.

Sharing this dinner with Julian was also bittersweet for Brooke on two counts. The first being that while she was grateful to be spending more time in his company it also reminded her that they were not really together as much as she wished things were different between them. Watching the way Taylor and Ryan interacted, the shared looks and affectionate touches, all the small things that came from being with someone for so long, epitomizing a couple clearly in love with one another after several years of marriage, caused an intense ache in her heart because she realized now this could have easily been her and Julian had she just given them a real chance. The other thing that bothered her was the realization that she and Julian had never really gone out with another couple while they had been dating. They hadn't gone out with Peyton and Lucas for obvious reasons, the main being it would have been too awkward back then. She couldn't recall why they hadn't spent much time with Naley, granted they had hung out together several times but they had never gone out on an official double date or anything. Actually she had never really gone out on a double date with any of her friends, not since high school anyways and even then it had been more of a group setting. Hanging out with Ryan and Taylor was making her long for what she had missed out on. Being with Julian was just magnifying everything, her losses and her hopes, to a painful degree and yet she wouldn't want to miss out on this moment right now for anything. How crazy was that she asked herself with an inward sigh.

Eventually Sam got tired of being the center of attention and decided to flip the tables on the adults by cleverly asking Ryan and Taylor how they met.

Taylor smiled brightly at the question while Ryan bit back a groan and Daniel just smiled as he had witnessed this routine before.

"Go ahead," Ryan replied with a shrug. "I know how much you love to tell this story."

Taylor clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "yay!"

Ryan couldn't help but smile over his wife's barely contained enthusiasm. Her excitement over the story caused everyone else at the table to smile as well in anticipation.

"Well Ryan and I met in high school but we didn't start interacting until our senior year and even then he hated me."

Ryan rolled his eyes, an expression Sam could totally appreciate. "I did not hate you Taylor!"

"Yes you did, you were president of 'the-we-hate-Taylor-club'!" She reminded him.

"I was the secretary," Ryan protested with a smile that held a shared memory between him and his wife.

Taylor smiled, knowing exactly what her husband was referring to. "See he hated me." She replied with a pout. "Of course I gave him every reason to. I was such a bitch! I once got his girlfriend, my nemesis, expelled from school."

"Because you wanted Ryan all for yourself." Sam concluded.

"Oh no, actually I had a crush on his best friend slash brother Seth, who was with Summer. I tried to break them up but quickly realized they were meant to be. I was right since they are married now." She explained. "Anyway I tried to redeem myself by launching a campaign to get Marissa back into Harbor. After that I sort of became the fifth wheel who was tolerated by the group. We all graduated together and I went off to France. I came back a few months later married."

"No trips to France for you young lady!" Julian stated firmly looking at Sam.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Guess we will have to cancel our holiday trip Daniel."

"She is joking," Daniel quickly rushed to reassure Julian.

Ryan, Taylor, Brooke and Julian all laughed.

"Though Las Vegas is always an option." Sam replied just for the fun of it. Julian glared at her before transferring it to Daniel, even though he had nothing to do with her remark.

In fact Daniel had been doing his best to gain Julian's approval, not set him off. Daniel leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Are you trying to get me killed babe?"

Sam laughed and whispered back, "he is harmless."

Julian, who was next to Sam and overheard their exchange challenged, "are you certain about that?"

While Taylor thought the young couple was absolutely adorable and could appreciate Sam giving Julian a bit of hell, she wasn't too anxious to see her son get caught in the crossfire and decided to intervene. "I don't think you have to worry about Sam, she seems so much more grounded than I ever was. I was in a foreign country, I didn't have any friends which I should have been used to but after having friends for such a brief period of time and then being all alone again, I was feeling lost and vulnerable, not to mention that my mother couldn't wait to get rid of me. So yeah all of that played into my decision to get married to a Frenchmen that I had only known for two weeks in his family's chateau in Burgandy. I eventually realized my mistake and returned to Newport, camping out underneath Seth's bed because I was too scared to go home and face my mother. A couple weeks later I recruited Ryan accompany me to a meeting with Henri Michel. At first he turned me down but I can be quite resourceful when I want something. Isn't that right, honey?" Taylor asked as she turned to Ryan, finally taking a breath.

"Oh you have no idea!" Ryan replied dryly, earning a chuckle from everyone at the table. "Though tenacious might be a better word for it." He teased her with a small smile.

"Only when the situation calls for it, as that one clearly did. So Ryan accompanied me to my meeting, only Henri-Michel sent his lawyer in his place and he was the one who accidentally gave me a brilliant idea on how to obtain my divorce. Even though I promised Ryan I wouldn't ask him for anymore favors after the meeting, I asked him to sign a paper attesting to my character."

"Unfortunately it was written in French and I spent like five hours translating it. When Taylor asked me to sign it she failed to mention that I was signing a document that said we had sex like thirty times." Ryan added wanting everyone to get the full run down of the story.

"Hey I made sure it said what a great lover you were." Taylor reminded him in defense of what she had written.

Daniel groaned and said, "that's not exactly something I want to hear mom! This conversation has the potential to scar me."

Taylor gave him a sheepish smile. "Right, sorry darling."

"Trust me I know the feeling," Sam replied with a pointed look at Julian and Brooke. "I once walked in on these two making out hard core on the sofa in the living room. Luckily they were still clothed but it still was not an image I wanted in my head right before I went to bed, let me tell you."

"Samantha!" Brooke scolded with a glare in her daughter's direction, who just gave her a careless shrug in response.

Julian remained silent wishing Sam had not said anything either since her words inspired the exact memory that she referenced with a startling clarity that seemed like it only happened yesterday rather than a little over two years ago. It had been their fifth date and since no one had known about them yet they had spent most of their time at Brooke's. Sam had usually been present but one night she had gone out with Jack, so he and Brooke decided to take advantage of having the house all to themselves. He recalled they hadn't been able to keep their hands or lips off of one another. Brooke had been straddling his lap while he had tried to convince her to take things to the bedroom when Sam had interrupted them. Julian reached for his drink as he tried to refocus in on the rest of Taylor's story, hoping that would help rid him of his vivid recollection. He was actually astonished that he could keep up given how fast Taylor could talk. Just listening to her monologues exhausted him even though he found her to be extremely entertaining.

"Sorry about that, please continue," Brooke suggested addressing Taylor.

"Think nothing of it. When I met Ryan to pick up the papers he informed that he knew what it said. I explained to him that the only way I could get a divorce was by proving I was unfaithful. Ryan had been dealing with some stuff in his life and said that he couldn't handle being involved in this kind of drama. I understood his position and after telling him how I got into this whole mess in the first place I left to go face the lawyer with an unsigned paper. Henri Michel's lawyer wasn't being sympathetic at all and said I had no choice but to return to France and try again. Much to my surprise Ryan showed up, apologizing for being late and proceeded to give me the hottest kiss I had ever experienced in my whole life and that is saying a lot because I was-"

"Mom!" Daniel exclaimed, interrupting her before she get too far off track and embarrass him further.

She gave him a repentant smile, "oh right. As amazing as the kiss was, it was what he did after that that made me fall for him. As he pulled away from me, he looked into my eyes and tapped me gently on the nose, twice. That was the exact moment I fell in love with Ryan Atwood."

Brooke couldn't control the "aw" that slipped out of her mouth as Taylor shared her love story.

"I know, right?" Taylor replied with a huge smile on her face. "While I was completely speechless-"

"A speechless Taylor is a very rare occurrence for her." Ryan informed them with another teasing smile for his wife as he began to play absentmindedly with the hand he held on top of the table.

"Oh I don't know about that. You seem to know how to shut me up." Taylor replied with a flirtatious smile for her husband, causing him to blush slightly.

Ryan coughed and shifted in his chair making Taylor giggle. "Ryan put his arm around me and played with my hair as he asked the lawyer for the papers he needed to sign. But the lawyer explained that wouldn't be necessary since he knew love when he saw it. I have been in love with him ever since though it took Ryan a bit of time to come around."

"Not too long though. You are just annoyed that I didn't fall for your sleep therapist seduction routine."

That comment had the whole table erupting in laughter.

Taylor gave him a playful pout. "I eventually found a way to cure your insomnia, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." He agreed with a sexy smile just for her.

"I did some crazy things during our first six months together but we managed to survive that and even though we broke up for a few months we found our way back to one another and we have been together ever since." She finished with a loving expression.

"That is an amazing story!" Brook replied completely envious of the couple, who was currently engrossed in one another.

"Thank you," Taylor replied. "I think so."

"See we really do have such a boring how we got together story." Sam replied with a dramatic sigh as she gave Daniel's shoulder a shove.

Daniel shrugged and countered her statement. "Just because our story is not surrounded in drama does not mean it is boring."

"Drama is overrated." Ryan declared.

"I couldn't agree more." Julian added.

"Really? This coming from the guy who came to Tree Hill to create a little drama, while making a movie about one of the most dramatic high school memoirs ever written, complete with a messy love triangle between two best friends." Brooke replied as she transferred all of her attention on to him.

"That was business." Julian protested. "Real life drama is completely overrated."

"Life is rarely without drama." Brooke retaliated.

Daniel leaned over to Sam who was watching Brooke and Julian, as were Ryan and Taylor. He whispered in his girlfriend's ear, "so I am guessing there was drama surrounding their romance."

Despite his attempt to be discreet, Daniel's voice carried and the whole table heard his summation. Julian was the first one to address it though. "You could definitely say that."

"It was complicated," Brooke corrected.

"Which means the same exact thing," Julian argued.

"It does not," she insisted.

"To guys it is the same thing." Julian replied which earned a nod of agreement from both Ryan and Daniel in support of his statement. "Girls say complicated, guys say dramatic."

"Well why don't you share your story with everyone so we can all decide." Sam suggested with a mischievous grin.

"What would be the point? We all know how it ends, it just didn't work out."

"Ah but why didn't it work out? Is it really over? Or is it unresolved?" Taylor inquired with a pointed look for both Brooke and Julian.

Brooke immediately looked to Julian to see his reaction to Taylor's insightful suggestion. This could be the opening she desperately needed. However the only outward indication Julian gave was to straighten up in his chair and Brooke was not certain what to discern from that, other than the subject seemed to make him uncomfortable. She had yet to determine if it was a good uncomfortable that she could work with or a bad uncomfortable that could potentially be counter-productive to her ultimate goal.

"Taylor," Ryan said quietly, noticing Julian's discomfort as well.

Taylor recognized the soft warning tone for what it was. This wasn't the first time she had over stepped her boundaries and it wouldn't be the last time either. She offered the non couple a shy smile. "Sorry, it's an occupational hazard."

Julian waved off her apology and gave her one of his charming smiles, relieved to have deflected that conversation. "I understand. I am sure we have all been guilty of taking our work home with us, so to speak." He should have known better than to think the matter would be dropped so easily, not in the presence of Sam.

"What if she has a point though? Why are you so unwilling to talk about it?" Sam challenged knowing she was pushing things with Julian more than she ever had in the past. She realized it was unfair of her to put him on the spot like that but she wanted him to work things out with Brooke so badly and she only had a certain amount of time to do it in.

"I just don't see any reason to bore everyone over dinner." Julian replied.

"I am sure it is not boring at all. I would be very interested in hearing how the two of you got together once upon a time." Taylor reassured them. "I am extremely curious as to why you are not a couple anymore. I mean there is still so much chemistry between the two of you, the sexual tension is so obvious, so palpable. I am amazed you haven't done anything about it. Sometimes it is best just to give in rather than fight the attraction." She advised.

Brooke didn't quite know how to respond to her observation. Julian didn't appear too eager to address it either since he remained silent. Deciding to focus on Taylor's original request to hear their story rather than her bold conclusion, Brooke's gaze lingered on Julian searching hard for some sign as to why he would be so opposed to this discussion. Unfortunately he was impossible to read even though he was sitting right next to her. Sighing she turned to face Taylor again."When Julian first came to town I was very suspicious of him. I didn't trust him at all with my best friends, with his reasons for wanting to make the movie, with his interest in Sam."

"Everyone in Tree Hill was convinced I was there to win back Brooke's best friend Peyton Sawyer." He explained, jumping into the conversation since Brooke was so determined to share their history. He thought it was only fair that he offer his perspective in addition to hers.

"What else were we supposed to think when you came to town under suspicious circumstances?" Brooke asked as she turned in her seat to confront Julian.

"What is so suspicious about wanting to make a movie based on a bestselling novel?" He retorted.

"Nothing except when you leave out the fact that the movie is about your ex-girlfriend who you loved and lived with for a year and yet you failed to mention your past connection with Peyton to her current boyfriend slash author of said bestselling novel until after you gained the movie rights to his book."

"I was afraid Lucas wouldn't give his consent to do the movie based on jealousy. It had nothing to do with Peyton and everything to do with the movie rights. I broke up with her, not the other way around." He argued.

"And you never once regretted that?" Brooke challenged in disbelief. That was something she had always wondered about in the back of her mind but hadn't had the courage to ask, fearing his answer, until now.

"No, I let her go for a reason, the same as you did with Lucas, if I recall. I wasn't willing to share her heart with someone else." He answered with such conviction that no one at the table dared to think he was speaking anything but honestly. "I have never once looked back or wondered about what might have been. I just let go." Julian paused, deliberately having Brooke a couple seconds to process the implications of his statement before he continued. "The fact that Peyton was in Tree Hill only reinforced the rightness of my decision." He concluded confidently.

It was hard to disagree when he had a valid point. It briefly occurred to her that his description of never looking back or wondering could apply to them as well. Had it been that easy for him to let her go? She really hoped not, she wanted to believe they still had a chance. Unfortunately it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the faith that it was not too late for them.

Brooke turned back to face Taylor again as she picked up the story before her and Julian veered off topic. "Julian approached me with a proposal that I do the designs for the movie and I immediately turned him down, not wanting to align myself with someone who had questionable ethics. Then Sam and I got into a huge fight that same night and she took off. I ran into Julian a couple of times while I was looking for her and I asked him to let me know if he heard from her. He told me he wasn't that guy but I later found out he had actually been looking for her on his own. That was the moment I began to think I might have been wrong about him. After we found Sam, I decided to give him a chance and agreed to do the designs for the movie."

"As much as I would like to think she couldn't resist me, I knew it had more to do with the fact that she wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn't going to mess with Lucas and Peyton."

"And here I thought you were oblivious to that incentive." She replied sarcastically.

"I knew your game, Brooke Davis!" He replied with a cocky smile.

"As if anyone could blame me? That grin of yours is enough to make anyone question your motives." She answered with a smile of her own.

"Oh but you were immune to my grin, isn't that what you told me?" He reminded her, his irritable grin firmly in place on his incredible mouth.

"As much as I didn't want to be, I was susceptible to it as you well know. You used it to your advantage too, don't even try to deny it!" She warned as he began to protest.

He shrugged and conceded, "I did what I had to."

Satisfied with his admission, she nodded then she turned back to their enraptured audience. "Julian turned out to be nothing like I expected." She admitted. "Our first business meeting-"

"Your date," Sam interrupted for the first time.

"Our business meeting," Julian reiterated, quickly backing up Brooke's initial description.

"Oh really? So you ask if all of your potential business associates are single?" Sam challenged with a smirk. "Or refer to your business associates as hot?"

"Why did we invite her to dinner again?" Julian muttered causing everyone to chuckle.

"I never knew you asked if I was single. When did you do that?" Brooke inquired with an impish smile.

"Right after the USO concert, the day you found out he was talking to me." Sam answered not giving Julian a chance to respond to Brooke.

"Hmm, interesting." She said thoughtfully.

"Anyways, you were saying…our business meeting." He prompted trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Our first business meeting ran late into the night as we discovered that we had a lot more in common than either of us realized. We both felt a connection, one I hadn't anticipated." She confided to everyone. "But both of us agreed it would be better if we kept things professional, anything else between us would just be complicated. That lasted all of two minutes before we kissed. Several times in fact, if my memory is accurate." Brooke replied with her infamous smile as she looked to Julian for confirmation.

"That sounds right to me." He reluctantly agreed though he did not return her smile. How could he when this story was suddenly ripping him open on the inside. He could willingly acknowledge that just a few short minutes ago he had actually been having a good time reminiscing with Brooke in front of everyone. Watching her face light up as she spoke and flirted with him, it was easy to remember the beginning and how he had fallen for the incomparable Brooke Davis. It was what came next that reminded him how intimately acquainted he was with the term bleeding out. For a few minutes he had forgotten and that was what made Brooke so dangerous. It was why he needed to keep his guard up around her at all times because if he didn't, she had the power to make him want to forget and that wasn't an option for him.

Brooke's smile faltered as she registered the flat tone in his voice. It was an obvious contrast compared to the teasing banter they had shared several minutes before and she missed it already. "We dated for several months until his movie was cancelled."

For some reason he couldn't explain those words frustrated him. The way she said it made it sound as if the failed movie attempt was the reason behind their break up and not the fact that she wasn't able to accept his love, let alone return it. "Oh so we were dating? I thought we were just having fun! Isn't that what you told me after I said I loved you?"

"What was I supposed to say?" She demanded. "It had only been two months, Julian! We were just getting to know one another."

"I wasn't aware that love had a time table. You said you couldn't do fun, so I got serious. But then you couldn't handle that either. What the hell was I supposed to do Brooke?" He demanded heatedly forgetting that they had an audience and the fact that they were in a public place, though he did manage to keep his voice down.

"You could have given me more than a few hours to decide to uproot Sam and my lives." She retorted. "Is it so wrong for me to have wanted more time to figure out what I wanted?"

"It wouldn't have mattered if you had more time. You made it clear you weren't in love with me." He shook his head. "None of this matters though since it all worked out for the best." Julian concluded. She would never know how bitter those words tasted in his mouth.

Brooke sat back in her seat, completely crushed by his words. She heard the conviction in them; just as strongly as when he had insisted earlier in their discussion that he hadn't come to Tree Hill for Peyton. She could feel what little faith she had slip away. Maybe it was easy for him to let go of her after all. Not that she could blame him, she hadn't exactly given him a reason to hold on back then.

Sam was the first to break the tense silence when she asked," so what is your diagnosis Dr. Atwood?"

"Hm, so neither of you cheated or lied to the other?"

"No there was none of that." Brooke answered.

"We were always honest with one another, even if it hurt to hear the truth," Julian added, knowing his heart still carried the scars that attested to that fact.

"Okay so then I am really surprised the two of you are not still together. From what you have shared with us, you two were crazy about one another."

"I was in love, she was in like **a lot**!" Julian clarified, unable to control the bitterness in his voice as he recalled those words in his head. They still had the ability to wreck him.

"They were crazy about one another," Sam interrupted. "They were inseparable when they weren't working and I have never seen either of them look as happy as they were when they were dating."

"That isn't a fair assessment since you haven't been around to witness my happiness until recently." Julian objected.

"I know enough but it is not like I didn't talk to you. You have always been an open book with me even if you didn't discuss things." Sam reminded him.

"Surely you are not going to base your opinion of the perception of a teenage girl."

"You know she has always been wise beyond her years Julian! Technically speaking she really isn't a teenager anymore either." Brooke defended, joining on the dispute once again. "As much as it kills me to admit it, she has always been dead on when it comes to our relationship."

"We don't have a relationship." Julian reminded her harshly.

"Not anymore," Brooke agreed sadly.

"But you still could." Taylor replied optimistically after watching Julian, Sam and Brooke argue. "I have to agree with Brooke here, Sam is quite a perceptive young girl and even teenagers can identify real love when they see it."

"Thank you." Sam replied, shooting a triumphant smile Julian's way.

"You're welcome." Taylor smiled at her from her end of the table. "After all I was only a junior in high school and I knew Seth and Summer were meant to be, didn't I, Ryan?"

"She really did." Ryan agreed though he could have gone on to say that **everyone** knew Seth and Summer would end up together. However he wisely kept quiet knowing that wouldn't help his wife make her point and saying so would probably annoy his son as well since Sam was so invested in Julian and Brooke reuniting, which meant it was important to Daniel. He could understand that as it was the way with the men in the Atwood / Cohen family, what was important to their women became important to them. While he was not a fan of meddling in someone's love life he could respect the effort his son had made in organizing this dinner tonight. He had been surprised to learn that this had all been Daniel's idea and not Sam's, he just hadn't been surprised that Daniel was willing to try to help Sam bring her family together in a more permanent way. Beyond the respect he felt for his son, he was also incredibly proud of him. He was also proud of his wife because he knew that she was doing everything she could to help their son recognizing how important this was to Daniel. Ryan Atwood was an incredibly lucky man and he felt bad for the other couple sitting across from him because they seemed so broken. However he was inclined to agree with everyone else at the table that they were not unfixable either.

"As adults we tend to complicate things by thinking too much. In all honesty I am shocked by the events that inspired your break up. For some reason I guess I was expecting some sort of big betrayal that would explain why you are not together anymore despite the obvious chemistry between the two of you, a set of circumstances that would be hard to forgive or come back from. But the fact that there isn't anything of that nature explains a lot. If you were a couple that I were counseling-"

"But we're not," Julian interjected, hoping his words would prevent her from expressing her opinion further. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"But if you were, I would advise you to say everything that you two have been holding inside of you and then I would say that you need to have some serious make up sex to heal all of the hurt the two of you are carrying around. Nothing you have shared leads me to believe this can't be solved with some long overdue communication and then expressing your feelings in bed, or against a wall or any other hard surface really. Something tells me the two of you had a very healthy and adventurous sex life."

Her words ignited groans from everyone at the table except Brooke who just stared at her curiously. Taylor's candor was positively refreshing. It was interesting to get an outsiders perspective on the situation, one who didn't have a connection to her or Julian.

"You can tell that just by looking at us?" Brooke whispered.

"Definitely! In my field you have to not only listen to the words people are saying but you also have to listen to the signals from their body and the passion is just radiating between the two of you!"

Julian was trying to think of a way to get out of this without getting his ass kicked by Ryan, who was sure to leap to his wife's defense the moment he said anything remotely negative against her. It wasn't that he doubted she was a good therapist, he was sure her unique approach worked for some people, he just didn't give much credit to what she was saying, which wasn't her fault really either since he knew she didn't have the full story. He and Brooke had glossed over the finer points of their history for everyone but there were details they were missing that made all the difference in his mind, like how badly Lucas scarred her heart and made it difficult for her to let anyone in five years after the fact. Or how much effort it took him to finally be able to move on with his life once he accepted the fact that Brooke was never going to love him. Those facts and more were relevant but way too personal to share with complete strangers, hell he didn't even share that with Sam and they were extremely close. He didn't want to be rude or insult anyone, he just wanted this to be over.

Thankfully he was rescued from his current dilemma when their waiter appeared to discreetly begin clearing off the table since everyone had finished eating. Julian quickly took advantage of the distraction by switching the focus around once again.

"So Samson, what's your story with Daniel?"

Sam glared at him. "Well aren't you the clever one?"

Julian shrugged. "I am just making conversation."

"We were already in the middle of one."

"That one was going nowhere. I think this one is way more interesting." He insisted.

Sam sighed. She recognized the stubborn look in Julian's eyes and knew it would be a waste of everyone's time to force the issue now. That was the surest way to piss him off. Sam was hoping enough was said to give him something to think about. She would count on Brooke to do the rest, though that was a concern since Brooke seemed to have suffered a minor setback with Julian's resistance to even entertain the possibility of Taylor's suggestion to talk things over. She did not like the look of defeat that had settled on Brooke's face.

"Daniel and I have an English class together. We were paired up for an assignment the first week of school. We had several study sessions before I finally asked him if he was ever going to ask me out on a real date."

Everyone laughed, relieved that the tension was slowly being replaced with genuine amusement again.

"Yeah, sometimes the Atwood's need a little push," Taylor replied as she rubbed a hand on Ryan's back as he leaned forward in his chair.

"There is nothing wrong with taking your time." Ryan defended.

"The only thing I can say in their defense is that they are worth the wait."

"Gee, thanks, mom," Daniel replied slightly bothered by her explanation of the male Atwood's behavior.

"Yeah thanks honey." Ryan echoed in the same tone as his son, which made Taylor laugh at them because it was true.

Sam smiled at their easy banter, admiring their close family unit and trying not to compare what they had to what she had with Brooke and Julian. Logically she knew that the only main difference between her family and Daniel's was the fact that Julian and Brooke were not together let alone married, other than that Brooke and Julian gave her everything that Ryan and Taylor gave to Daniel. Unfortunately the heart rarely recognized logical reasoning. She wanted her family to be officially together. She wanted the parents she had been blessed enough to find to be happy and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they belonged with one another.

"So what was your response to my demanding daughter Daniel?" Brooke asked, not the least bit surprised to hear that Sam had gone after what she wanted. Her daughter had so much courage and she admired that about her.

"It took me a couple minutes to recover from the shock and then I asked her out. I believe your response was FINALLY like it had been the whole semester instead of the first week." Daniel replied as he used the arm around hanging off the back of her chair to pull her against him.

"I see no point in wasting time," Sam replied leaning into her boyfriend but looking directly at both Brooke and Julian making sure they understood her meaning.

"I can certainly appreciate that." Taylor replied with a wink for Sam.

Sam smiled grateful she had found such an unexpected ally in Daniel's mom.

"I think you're in trouble kid. Let's just hope these two never find a reason to gang up on us." Ryan joked.

"That would be terrifying!" Daniel agreed earning a slap on his chest from Sam for his comment.

"Ha-ha, aren't you funny?" She replied sitting up straight in her chair again.

Once again their waiter appeared and asked if they had saved room for dessert.

"None for Daniel and me, thanks." Sam answered quickly, speaking more to the four adults than the server. "We have to go."

"Excuse me, would you mind giving us a few minutes?" Brooke asked giving the gentleman patiently waiting for their answer her trademark smile that was impossible to say no to. Once he had agreed to come back and had given them privacy Brooke fixed Sam with a suspicious look. "Go where exactly missy?"

Sam and Daniel were already on their feet and had pushed their chairs in. "One of our friends is celebrating their birthday tonight. We promised to put in an appearance. I thought I mentioned it to you earlier." Sam replied innocently, not backing down from Brooke's accusing stare.

"No you didn't. I am sure it can wait until after dinner though since we are almost done."

"Not really, we are already late. You guys should stay and enjoy some dessert though. Julian, can you take my mom home tonight?"

"Of course." He replied because really what else could he say. The way he saw it, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Great, thank you!" She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Mom, I will see you later. Don't wait up. It was great to see you again Mr. and Mrs. Atwood."

Daniel and Sam quickly said their good-byes and were on their way out the door in less than three minutes.

"Could she be any more transparent?" Brooke mumbled under her breath.

Taylor heard her though and explained, "they really are going to a party. Daniel mentioned it to us earlier."

"Oh." Brooke said suddenly feeling guilty for having doubted Sam's story.

Ryan noticed the direction of Julian's gaze which was fixated on the entrance to the restaurant were the young couple had disappeared out of sight. "I imagine it is not easy." Ryan commented casually.

"What's not easy?" Julian asked reluctantly looking at Ryan again.

"Letting go, accepting that Sam is all grown up."

"No, it's not. Even though she is not my daughter in any official way that doesn't make me love or worry about her any less. I am sure that Daniel is a great guy, he seems like a good kid but I am not sure anyone is going to be worthy of Sam in my eyes. No offense." He added

"None taken," Ryan reassured him. "I am sure I am going to feel the exact same way in 17 years when my daughter Grace grows up."

"Except you will be lucky enough to watch your daughter grow up and have years to prepare for this moment. I feel like I just got Sam back and now I already have to share her." Julian confided.

"I can see how that would suck." Ryan sympathized. "I am not looking forward to Grace growing up at all. I know I can't keep her young but at the very least I can keep her from dating until she goes to college."

Julian chuckled, "good luck with that."

"I will need it since Taylor and I strongly disagree on the proper dating age."

Though Brooke and Taylor had been engaged in their own conversation both women were still paying attention to the discussion between their men. Brooke had heard everything Julian said about Sam and it only increased her love and guilt at the same time.

"I don't think it is all that unreasonable of our daughter to begin dating once she is a sophomore in high school. How old were you Brooke, when you started to date?"

"Oh um I am such a bad example to use for this argument. I didn't have much supervision growing up so I basically did whatever I wanted to at a very young age." Brooke admitted.

"She will have plenty of supervision." Ryan replied. "Besides it is not her I am worried about really, it is the teenage boys. I know what is on their minds. I know how I was. Is it wrong that I want to protect her for as long as I can? Wouldn't you agree Julian?"

"Teenage boys are the worst." Julian agreed.

"And college boys aren't?" Brooke questioned logically. Both Julian and Ryan shot her dirty looks while Taylor smiled at her. "You think just because they enter higher education their raging hormones disappear? Actually they have more opportunities to explore them seeing as how there is a lack of supervision and plenty of opportunities to do it in."

"You really are not helping right now." Julian informed her.

"That depends on your point of view. I think she is making a compelling argument." Taylor remarked.

"You would." Ryan grumbled.

"Sheltering her could be the worst thing you do. She could just do something crazy at the first opportunity if you deny her dating privileges until she is off on her own." Brooke argued.

Taylor nodded her head in agreement. "Exactly! She could marry the first person who comes along and shows her attention."

Ryan just shook his head, their daughter wasn't even potty training yet and they had already had this discussion numerous times.

"Tell me this, when did Daniel start dating?" Brooke inquired.

"After he got his license but before that he was allowed to have girls over to the house." Taylor answered.

"Did you make as big of a deal out of it as Ryan is about Grace dating?"

"Of course not," Taylor confirmed.

"You know, I have never understood the double standards between guys and girls." Brooke complained.

"Was it easy for you to allow Sam to start dating?" Julian shot back, feeling the need to back Ryan up in this debate. He understood Ryan's concerns.

"No but I knew that realistically I wouldn't be able to stop her either. If she wanted to she would find a way. I accepted that it would be better for both of us if we established some rules early on that both of us could live with. Did I want her to be like me in high school? Absolutely not! I would have done anything to keep her from going down that road but ultimately I knew she had to make her own choices, her own mistakes. From my personal experience I believe that honesty, trust and communication can make all the difference when raising a teenager. Who knows how different my life would have been had my parents been around to actually care about what I did. In any case, my approach seemed to work for Sam and me. Luckily, you two have plenty of time to come up with a compromise you can both live with."

"Thank you for giving us something to think about and sharing your experience with us." Taylor replied and Ryan nodded in accord.

Before anything more could be said their waiter returned to the table inquiring about dessert once more. The guys declined but the girls ordered something from the menu as well as some coffee. He had just left the table when Taylor's phone began to ring in her purse. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the caller id, explaining that it must have something to do with Grace.

While Ryan was distracted with listening to Taylor's side of the phone conversation, before Julian could talk himself out of it, he leaned closer to Brooke, close enough that she could smell his cologne, and he said quietly, "for the record I think you turned out to be kind of amazing, Brooke Davis!"

Before Brooke could recover from the shock of his statement Taylor hung up the phone. "Everything okay with Grace?" Ryan asked immediately.

"That was Summer, apparently Grace has a fever and she won't stop crying. We should probably drive back tonight instead of tomorrow." Taylor shoved her phone back into her clutch.

"We should get going then, it is already nine." Ryan replied knowing he probably wasn't convincing anyone with his performance. It was hard to pretend to be concerned about Grace knowing that she was perfectly fine and with Kirsten and Sandy. Taylor informing him that Summer had been on the phone was his wife's way of letting him know there was absolutely nothing wrong with their fourteen month old baby girl.

"I am so sorry that we have to leave so suddenly." Taylor said.

"Oh think nothing of it. We totally understand." Julian assured them.

"I hope she is okay."

"I am sure she will be fine. She just wants her parents. You know how she is when she gets sick." Taylor addressed the last of her comment to her husband.

Not sure what else to do Ryan just nodded his head.

The foursome quickly said their good-byes with Brooke and Taylor promising to get together the next time Brooke was in town. Julian and Ryan shook hands, then Brooke hugged Ryan while Taylor hugged Julian before the girls hugged one another. As Taylor embraced Brooke she shared some encouraging words. "I have a good feeling about you and Julian! Don't give up!"

Unfortunately Brooke was staring at their retreating backs before she had a chance to ask Taylor what she meant by that. But she welcomed the feeling of renewed hope that was fluttering back to life inside her. Or maybe that was due more to the fact that she was alone with Julian.

Julian and Brooke reclaimed their seats just as their server arrived with dessert. Brooke passed Julian the selection that was meant for Taylor.

As Brooke lifted her spoon full of chocolate pot de crème she asked, "do you get the feeling we have been set up?"

"Absolutely!" He agreed as he took a bite of tiramisu.

Since neither of them was to blame for their present situation Brooke decided the best way to handle it was to just get through it. Though she made a mental note to kill Sam the first chance she got. Surely they could get through the next fifteen minutes without it being too awkward. They had been friends once upon a time, maybe this was what they needed to remind them of that fact. To pass the time Brooke initiated an easy conversation with Julian by asking him how he felt about Daniel now as well as his impressions of Ryan and Taylor while they finished their dessert.

**AN2: Sorry for the uneventful ending, it just seemed like a good stopping point. As I mentioned earlier, most of this was filler but I hope you found it to be fun and entertaining. It was fun for me to visit the beginning for these two couples. I promise the next chapter is going to be somewhat intense and you will definitely get more of Brooke and Julian's thoughts about this situation, along with some interesting conversations. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this update. Please let me know what you think, as I have mixed opinions on it myself. I love hearing your thoughts: good or bad, I can handle it. LOL Thank you for reading and for all of the inspiration your words give to me!!! Oh and if anyone has any ideas about what they would like to see happen in the chapter with Vanessa (or any other one), please feel free to let me know! **

**I am already working on the next chapter, but I am going to take my time with it more so than I have on any previous chapter since this one is a hugely important update. :D I will try not to keep you waiting too long though.**

**Still to come: **

**Chapter 8 Preview: Brooke and Julian alone time! Plus BJu on the beach!**

**Chapter 9 Preview: Sam conspires once again, though the results aren't what she was hoping for. The long awaited scene…Brooke meets Vanessa!**

**Chapter 10 Preview: Sam has a heart to heart with Julian. **

_**For my wonderful readers who I wasn't able to respond to before now…**_

_**Sab~ Thank you so very much for all of your amazing praise! I am so excited that you loved chapter 6 as much as you did!!! It was a blast to write. I know it may seem hard to believe but I don't really like Brooding!Julian either. LOL He had way too much charm and is too full of life! But I also believe that Brooke is the one thing that can get to him and bring him down above all else because his feelings run so deep for her!! **_

_**I agree with you Overprotective!Julian is hot!!! If it is possible to fall in love with a fictional character, then I am right there with you. Real life guys suck in comparison, well at least the ones I know anyway. LOL I am so pleased that you enjoyed Sam introducing Julian as her father. In my mind he is the only one she has ever known to play that role in her life and it seemed appropriate to have him recognize him as such. Yes Julian really does see Sam as his daughter as their daughter, nice phrasing of that by the way! :D haha. I loved emphasizing that aspect in this story any chance I can get! I will admit I had way too much fun writing the scene where Julian met Daniel. I am thrilled that you found it to be so amusing as well. I am really happy that you loved when Julian grabbed Brooke's hand.I really do try to add those little moments in whenever I can and it flows with the story. I am so glad you are looking forward to the future updates. I hope they don't disappoint. Thank you for loving this story as much as you do! That is a blessing to me! It is always a pleasure to hear from you!**_

_**Sunshine~ I promise that you do not owe me anything! You are under no obligation to leave me any reviews but it means a lot to me to have you make such an effort! I am always delighted to hear your thoughts though but only if it is convenient for you. It is enough for me to know that you are reading the story still!! Real life can get complicated at times and I would hate to add any more stress in your life. So in the future if you have time to review that is awesome but if not then please just continue to enjoy the story as much as you have in the past! I am excited to hear that you liked the fact that Brooke and Sam has kept up with Julian's career over the years and celebrated his accomplishments in their own way. It seemed like something Brooke would do knowing how much he struggled to make a name for himself. It was also a great way for her to let him know that he mattered to her even if she never gave him the words he needed to hear the most! Sam really is great for breaking the tension, isn't she? LOL I couldn't resist the kiss on the cheek! You have no idea how tempted I was to go for a Brooke to give him a real kiss! LOL It just didn't seem fair to have Brooke do that to Julian. He would never believe that she did it because she wanted to and that it wasn't for show. *SIGH* I am glad that you can understand why he has to be so guarded with her. He was burned badly before it only makes sense he would be cautious. **_

_**I love your enthusiasm for how Sam introduced Brooke and Julian to her professors. I agree it is true and the only way I could see it being done. LOL The Julian and Sam relationship is my second favorite to write for and feature in this story, in case you couldn't tell. LOL I am happy that you agreed with Julian's approach to the whole Daniel situation! Over!Protective Julian s divine as far as I am concerned! LOLOL I am excited and terrified that you are looking forward to Vanessa entering the story. It is going to be interesting that is for sure!!! LOL I truly do appreciate all of the lovely things you had to say in your review! It means so much to me that you took the time you did!!! Thank you so much!!! Thank you also for your reassurance that I never disappoint! I hope that never happens and I will do everything I can to ensure your confidence in me!! **_

_**I so hope to hear from you again soon but if you can't find the time, I really do understand. I love reading your reviews but as I said only if it is convenient for you. I hope life slows down for you since it seems to be so crazy! Until next time, please take care! **_

_**Jessy~I am so happy that you loved chapter! I loved that you loved Julian in Chapter 6 because I did too! LOL But then I always love Julian! Overprotective!Julian is the best, imo. I am thrilled that you loved the scene between him and Brooke. I tell everyone all the time that they really are so much fun to write for! I wish I could promise that the road is going to be easy for them but it's not. There is going to be some push /pull coming up in the next chapter because really, when have these two ever made things easy?! LOL I am glad you are looking forward to Vanessa making an appearance. I am amazed at how many people are looking forward to Chapter 9, it kind of makes me nervous because it means the pressure is on. LOL If there is something specific you would like to see, please let me know. I am open to ideas for that chapter. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful compliments! I appreciate hearing your thoughts about the story's progression. **_

_**Rebecca~ Please do not apologize, I completely understand how real life can make reviewing difficult. It is incredibly sweet of you to try and make the time to fit this in though. Thank you for reading it and taking the time to give me your thoughts. It makes me extremely happy that you are enjoying the story the way you are. Thank you for all of you kind words! I hope life isn't too crazy and settles down for you soon! :D**_


	8. Chapter 8A

**AN: I hope you will accept my sincere apology for the incredibly long wait! The show was killing my inspiration but after Monday's episode, it has been renewed, FINALLY!!! Please know that I have felt horrible making you wait as long as I have, I swear that was NEVER my intention. Now with that being said I do have some good news and some bad news. The good news is I have an update, the bad news is this update is not entirely finished. This chapter is longer than I had originally anticipated and is really taking on a life of its own. So rather than make you wait until who knows when for the rest of it to be completed, I have decided to split the chapter up into two parts. I hope you don't mind. I promise the best is yet to come…more teases at the end in my other author's note. LOL As always, I hope that you will let me know what you thought of this because there is a part of me that cannot help but feel like I might be disappointing you all by breaking this up into two parts. I really hope that all of my lovely readers will not feel that way though. If you do, I am truly sorry and I will try to not do this in the future. If you are not disappointed in me or the chapter then that makes me very relieved and happy. LOL I know, I need to shut up and stop rambling now since I have already made you wait so long…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH. I am also borrowing the title of this chapter "Down" by Wasteland. ****All mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

**Chapter 8: DOWN**

After he and Brooke had finished their desserts Julian discovered that Sam and Daniel had thoughtfully taken care of the bill. Though in all truth he suspected it was more to ease their guilty conscious. It had been relatively quiet since Ryan and Taylor had left and the absence of Sam not being around to fill in the silence was noticeable. After several minutes of exchanging their impressions of the Atwood clan, discussion had quickly tapered off. Conversation seemed to have flowed when other people were around but now that it was just the two of them, they had barely spoken. Brooke considered this to be a bad sign. While they waited for the Valet to bring his car around she replied, "you know you don't have to take me back to Sam's. I think I might just grab a cab, maybe do some exploring of the LA night life. It has been awhile since I have been here."

"If you want to explore LA, I can show you around." He offered politely. He didn't particularly like the thought of Brooke wandering around alone at night even though he knew it wasn't his business to worry about her anymore.

As much as the idea of spending more time with Julian appealed to her, she wasn't going to make him feel obligated to her just because Sam maneuvered him into this position. She knew her daughter had been well intentioned but she wasn't going to allow Julian to fall victim to Sam's latest schemes any more than he already had tonight. Forcing things to happen was not the best approach in her opinion. "That is not necessary Julian. I am a big girl and amazingly enough; I am quite capable of taking care of myself. Besides I am no stranger to LA or big cities for that matter. I lived in New York for four years and spent several summers here during high school, you know." She reminded him.

"I am aware of that, yes. But I promised Sam I would get you back to her place and that is what I am going to do. However if you really want to explore the city we can do that as well."

"Don't you have better things to do than spend the evening playing my tour guide? I am sure there is someone else that you would much rather be spending you time with. Saturday's must be a hot date night for you."

"I promised." He insisted stubbornly as his car pulled up in front of them. Julian opened Brooke's door and waited for her to get in. He heard her sigh before he closed the door and releasing a deep breath of his own, he rounded the car to the driver's side. He tipped the valet and hopped in the seat next to her. He pulled out into traffic before asking, "where to, back to Sam's? Or do you want to go exploring?"

Brooke debated, she was tempted to tell him to take her back to Sam's place so she could call a cab and go exploring the city of angels alone. She didn't need a damn babysitter. But on the other hand she was reluctant to give up this time with him. She realized she was quickly running out of time and if she wanted to figure things out between them once and for all, there wasn't going to be a more ideal opportunity than this. "Why don't you take me to your favorite place?" She suggested

"It is not any place around here. It is a beach."

"That sounds lovely."

Julian nodded and began to head out of the city.

"It has been awhile since I have been to a beach in LA, not since the summer I graduated high school. All my trips since then have been business related. Do you go to the beach often?" She asked desperate to erase the silence but even more, she hoped to learn about his life here. That hadn't been a topic they had discussed too often when they had been together in Tree Hill, just small snippets of conversation but it had never been enough to form a clear picture in her head.

"As often as I can. I practically grew up on the beach surfing."

Brooke turned in her seat so that she gave him her undivided attention. "You never told me you surfed."

Julian shrugged as he replied, "it never came up."

"Do you still surf?"

"As much as I can, when my schedule allows for it. I am even trying to convince Sam to give it a try." He informed her with a smile.

Brooke took a moment to appreciate that image, smiling as she commented, "now that I would love to see. Surprisingly I think it might suit her."

"That is what I keep trying to tell her."

Silence descended in the small car once again and it unsettled Brooke so much that she made another effort to break it.

"So I noticed you never answered my question earlier."

Julian was not surprised she was bringing that up again. Even though at least ten minutes had passed, he knew exactly what she was referring to. "I thought it was a statement."

"I suppose it was," she sighed. "But you never responded."

"The lack of response was deliberate." He admitted.

"Why is that?"

"Because I refuse to talk about that with you."

"I thought we were trying to be friends." Brooke countered.

"We are."

"So friends talk about this kind of stuff."

"Are we really going to have this conversation?" Julian exclaimed incredulous, taking his eyes from the road for a moment to sear her with an intense glare.

"Why not?" Brooke didn't know what she hoped to gain by taking this direction but she found his reaction curious enough to press the issue for further explanation.

"Our history for one," he replied, stating the obvious.

"But we have both moved on from that."

"It doesn't mean I am comfortable hearing about your love life or sharing the details of mine with you."

Brooke resisted the urge to shrink back in her seat in defense against the heat of his response. "Okay, I am sorry I brought it up. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I am not upset." Julian sighed and then continued, "look, I think it is great that we are trying to be friends for Sam's sake. I just think it is best if we avoid certain subjects, that is all."

"Sure," she agreed relaxing back against her seat and turning her head to look out the window rather than his profile. This time she welcomed the quiet and did nothing to break it.

The overwhelming disappointment his words inspired caused her to wonder what the hell she was doing here. It would be so effortless to talk herself out of this. She seriously considered asking him to just turn around and take her back to Sam's. His words made it abundantly clear that Sam was the only thing that connected them anymore. Going back to Sam's would make the most sense but she kept those words contained in her head rather than giving her mouth permission to utter them because her intuition was suggesting that something more was going on here. There must be if Taylor, a complete stranger, could recognize that there was something between them. Then again there was a strong chance that Brooke could be holding on to something that wasn't even there. It was entirely possible that she just wished so badly for it to be true she was willing to believe Taylor even though she had nothing solid to base her impressions on.

While she may agree with Taylor's assessment that there were issues that remained unresolved between them, perhaps that simply wasn't the case for Julian and things were crystal clear to him. After all she was the one who had rejected him, he got over it and now it was in the past. He didn't seem to be damaged by losing love, even before she had come along he had certainly gotten over Peyton with very little permanent scaring that she could see. Maybe it was just that easy for him to move on if things didn't work out for him with someone he professed to love.

She could probably talk herself into believing that if she didn't have the image of him standing in the middle of a crowded airport exposing his absolute heart break to her. Once again it was an image she would never be able to forget no matter how hard she tried. It was his pain that reminded her that while he may be able to insist that Sam was indeed his only sake for trying to be friends with her again, that didn't necessarily mean it was the whole truth. She knew better than most that sometimes when your heart has been crushed you would say just about anything to protect yourself from feeling that kind of agony again. It was exactly what she had done with Lucas on numerous occasions during her senior year. She had pushed him away and kept him at a distance the most effective way she knew how, by encouraging him to be with Peyton even though it ripped her apart on the inside but she did it knowing it was only going to hurt more in the long run if she didn't do something to protect her own heart. Understanding that kind of devastation made it easier for her to identify Julian's possible strategy by saying what he did. It is what she would have done had the situation been reversed. She clung to the notion that Julian would behave just as she would because he had once confessed that he related to her and over time as she had gotten to know him she had discovered that they were a lot alike in matters of the heart.

If there was the slightest chance that her theory was true and she could make up for the pain she had caused him, she owed it to herself to tough it out and see if it really was over between her and Julian. He had fought for her once upon a time without her ever asking him to, maybe now it was her turn to return the sentiment. She loved him enough to try and that gave her the strength she needed to face his possible rejection. That was the only reason that prevented her from asking him to take her back to Sam's now.

Julian drove the familiar route, lost in his own thoughts, musing over how crazy this situation was. Never would he have figured that this was the way he would be passing the time on a Saturday night. He wanted to believe that this was all just some severely screwed up dream that was taking place in an unconscious state. However he knew this was reality because he could only feel this horrible in real life. The dreams that included Brooke were always ones with happy endings, something they had always lacked. Spending time with Brooke was more difficult than he imagined it would be. He could feel himself becoming overwhelmed by her again and she wasn't even doing anything of great significance other than existing. Apparently that was really all it took for him. But that didn't mean he had to accept defeat, in fact all it really meant was that he had to fight that much harder against himself and her affect on him.

It was ironic how life seemed to work out. Now he found himself doing exactly what he once accused Brooke of, using Sam as an excuse, even if the context varied just a bit. While Brooke has used Sam as a barrier between them, Julian needed her to be the only link that kept them in the same sphere. It was easier for him to convince both Brooke and himself that the only reason he was hanging out with her tonight was because Sam had asked him to see her home. Admittedly he was taking it a bit farther by offering to show her his favorite spot but it was still to benefit Sam so he and Brooke could be on friendlier terms in the future. It was convenient to use Sam as a shield to deflect all the emotions Brooke was stirring up. That is why he found himself being so short with his answers to Brooke since he had been alone with her. With other people around there had been plenty of distractions that had enabled him to focus on something else rather than just entirely on her. Despite being able to identify the explanations for his behavior, he understood modifying his current attitude with her would most likely lead to him spiraling out of control once again. He knew it wouldn't take much.

It certainly didn't help matters that he had images of their brief time together running though his mind thanks to the conversation from dinner. That whole experience was fucking with him in every way imaginable and he struggled to keep the memories at bay just as he did every day. He never realized how much getting over Brooke was like an addicted trying to battle their addiction every second of every day. Of course it was so much easier when the addiction wasn't tempting you just by being in such close proximity. This was exactly why he has protested so adamantly at dinner that the subject be redirected, knowing no good would come from dissecting old wounds. Especially with strangers. Especially with strangers who were still madly in love with one another and living their happily ever after. Two happy couples would not understand that sometimes love does not always conquer all. Of course maybe it did if both parties were in love and wanted the same thing, something he realized he had yet to experience first with Peyton and then more importantly with Brooke. Perhaps that was the secret to obtaining the elusive happily ever after and explains how some couples seemed to have the strength to fight all the obstacles in their way. There was no doubt that hadn't been the case with him and Brooke. He had loved her with everything in him and she hadn't loved him at all. Obviously Brooke must agree with him on some level as well since she hadn't mentioned anything that Taylor said about them having unfinished business between them. That fact should have relieved him and not made him feel the ache inside that he was trying so hard to deny was there. It was good that she was silent in that issue, it meant they were of the same mind and the remainder of their visit should not be awkward. But if that were the case then why did the air feel so heavy in the car. He couldn't help but become extremely frustrated over the fact that it seemed the more he tried to analyze things, the more twisted up he became as even more questions arose rather than providing the answers he so desperately sought.

Twenty minutes later Julian began to maneuver his way down the road that led to the beach, he briefly debated on where to park. Normally it would be a given that he would park in the driveway in front of his house but he had no intentions of inviting her inside. That was his sanctuary and he didn't want to take the chance that her presence would haunt him long after she was gone. Parking in the reserved spots for the public beach seemed the best option. He wouldn't have to explain anything in any case since she didn't know he lived on this particular beach. He was already sharing a part of himself with her by taking her here, there was no need to give her more than that. It would be incredibly foolish of him and he had long since stopped being a fool over Brooke Davis.

By the time Julian parked in the designated area that serves as the beach parking lot, the tension between the two passengers was thick and stifling in the confines of the car. Brooke had her seat belt undone before he even turned off the engine. She wanted to jump out of the car but strived for self control to casually open the door and step out into the breeze, inhaling the salty, fresh air as deeply as her body allowed her to. Julian wanted to take his own time getting out of the vehicle but as the lingering scent of Brooke assaulted his already battered senses, he made a hasty exit as well.

He joined her around the front of the car, where she quietly waited for him. He led her down the steps he had parked in front of that made a path down to the sandy beach. As soon as Brooke's feet touched the sand she leaned over to remove her red peep toe heels. Julian followed suit, taking off his socks and shoes. After the task was completed, he wordlessly reached for her shoes. He ignored the spark that electrified his skin as her fingers brushed his in the exchange of her shoes. As he made his way to the car, he reminded himself that it meant nothing as chemistry had never been their problem, so what if they still had it. Once he tossed the shoes in the back seat of his car, he retraced the steps and returned to Brooke's side.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice raspy from remaining quiet for so long.

Julian nodded his head before starting off in the direction of the houses lined along the shore of the beach in the great distance, rather than walking in the opposite direction of the darkened stretch of the beach.

"This place is really beautiful! I can see why you like it so much." Brooke said after a few minutes of just listening to the ocean waves crashing against one another as they strolled nonchalantly, just a few feet from the tide.

Again Julian nodded, this time in agreement with Brooke before adding, "I find it to be quite relaxing even when it is crowded with people."

"It is always good to have a place like that, where you can unwind and just forget about the events of your day, even of it is just for a little while." She commented.

"It does make a difference," he concurred.

Once again the conversation dwindled into nothing, presenting an inner struggle for both of them as they searched for something to say. It should have been so easy, they should have had a thousand things to talk about since neither had seen the other in over two years Brooke rationalized internally. Unbeknownst to her Julian's mind was having similar thoughts. He realized that unfortunately they had already covered all the safe topics earlier in the day, with Sam acting as a buffer when things got too complex. Well maybe there was one safe topic they had yet to discuss in any real depth. Relieved he had found a suitable subject to pass the time with he spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"I imagine it's been hard for you with Sam being so far away?" Julian inquired.

This time Brooke nodded her head. "The house is really quiet. I miss her but I know this is good for her. We talk all the time, it's just not the same."

"No, it is not." He agreed, knowing from his own experience that talking on the phone could be a comfort and a painful reminder of how much you missed someone once the sound of their voice was not ringing in your ear.

"I was surprised she didn't try going to New York to pursue her dreams there instead. It may have made things a bit more difficult but at least then you could have moved back to New York as well since your company head-quarter's is still there." Julian remarked.

"No, she needed to be here." She replied quietly.

Again he agreed with her but chose not to say anything out loud.

They continued to walk and after several minutes had lapsed Brooke began to speak again. "When everyone first found out that Sam was going to college all the way out here, they kept asking me how I felt about it. I kept insisting that I was okay with it but I knew no one believed me. I could feel the weight of their concern every time they looked at me, especially at Sam's good-bye and good luck party. She has been the biggest part of my life for so long and I think they kept waiting for me to fall apart at the fact that she was moving 2000 miles away from home. But I never did. I felt a weird sense of peace knowing she was coming out here. I would have felt differently, been nervous, maybe even tried to persuade her to sticking closer to Tree Hill had Sam chosen a place to start her new life where she didn't have any family. But she didn't and that made it easier for me to accept. She has you and that eases my mind considerably since you are her family as much as I am. Thank you for being Sam's family and always looking out for her the way you do." She said turning away from the stretch of beach ahead of them to look at his profile.

From the moment she began speaking, she had his full attention, engrossed by the way she was voluntarily opening up to him, something she hadn't done often when they had been dating and the fact that she was doing so now only made him that much more interested. He listened to not only her words but the tone in her voice as she spoke, knowing that sometimes revealed even more than her words ever did. Even before she had finished he had concluded that she was speaking from the heart and he couldn't help but be touched by her words. Her simple generosity compelled him to offer his own gratitude. He stopped walking and she ceased her movement as well since he had turned to face her.

"Thank you for sharing her with me all of these years. You didn't have to and I doubt many people would have given the circumstances."

"I would never interfere with the relationship you two share."

"I know that." He said quietly, thoughtfully. "It is who you are, you have a remarkably generous heart."

Brooke shook her head in denial against his claims, thinking if that were true shouldn't she have been able to give her heart to him all those years ago. But this wasn't even about her really, it was about her daughter. "Sam hasn't always had love in her life and I would never deprive her of that."

Her words made it difficult for him not to think of another particular brunette in his life who lacked love for most of hers. Just looking at her in the moonlight with the infinite ocean behind her, he couldn't help but think how she looked so fragile to him in this moment, somehow lost against the vastness of the sea and he could feel the walls around his heart beginning to disintegrate. He could feel himself gravitating towards her much like the waves seek the shoreline. Knowing the dangers that this presented, he sternly reminded himself that it isn't his fault Brooke lacked love because he had loved her with everything he had and had attempted to give her that love, she just refused to accept it. On more than one occasion.

The sound of her voice abruptly brought him out of his melancholy. "You have always been so amazing with her. You have always been her hero and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of that than you." She admitted with a warm smile.

"I can think of someone." He said with a small smile of his own.

"No, I get to play the role of the villain more often than not." She reminded him with a dramatic sigh.

"That just goes with the territory of being a parent. You have to know how much she looks up to you! You have been an incredible role model for her. If anyone is her hero it should be you. You more than anyone else saved her."

"She rescued me too."

"I know, that is why the two of you are a perfect fit. She is amazing! You are a terrific mother!" He praised.

"Thank you! She couldn't ask for a better father figure either, even if you are extremely over protective of her."

"That is entirely her own fault, she gave me no warning what so ever." He protested.

"Oh please, you would have acted like that regardless."

He chuckled, "you are probably right."

"Of course I am. Brooke Davis is always right!"

"Is that so?"

"Yep, it is a little known fact."

"Wow! I had no idea." He teased.

"Good thing you do now." She teased back, biting back a smile.

They resumed their leisurely walk along the beach in a comfortable silence, an evident difference to all of the numerous silences they had previously experienced, which Julian interrupted once his curiosity got the better of him. "So what else don't I know about the incomparable Brooke Davis? What has she been doing other than raising a teenage daughter and running a multi-million dollar fashion company?"

"After those two things there isn't much to tell." She confided with a shrug.

"I find that hard to believe. You know what they say about all work and no play."

"Oh I always find time to play." She said flashing him a flirtatious smile, which immediately caused Julian to regret bringing up the subject of her social life. He wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He couldn't understand why he felt the need to torture himself, he still didn't want to hear the details, no matter how much he was secretly dying to know. "I play video games and trucks with Jamie. I play dress up and dolls with Sawyer. Those two help me get all the playtime I could possibly need."

Her answer made him laugh as an adorable image of her doing each activity flashed through his mind, relieving him because her answer could have been so much worse.

"So that is how you avoid the press these days." He commented as he shoved his hands into his pockets after they had accidentally brushed against hers. He had a powerful urge to reach out and link their fingers in a way he had dreamed of doing a thousand times in a scene unerringly like this, except they were a couple who was madly in love. The reality that they were barely acquaintances anymore made him remove his hands from the temptation that is Brooke Davis.

Unaware of Julian's internal struggle, she remarked,"it's pretty easy to do living in a small town. I barely even make the local paper anymore."

"Oh I doubt that, Brooke Davis is always news worthy."

"Perhaps if I lived here," she agreed. "You should know how it is considering how often you make the headlines with all of your actresses."

Julian ignored the bait she was laying before him and focused in on her previous statement. "Is that why you were so insistent on giving the Paparazzi a show today and making headlines while you were here, you miss the limelight?"

"No." She should have left it at that but she was tired of playing it safe. There were only going to be so many opportunities to test Julian out and this seemed to be a perfect one. "I was just using their presence as an excuse to get close to you." She answered softly, honestly, anxious to see how he would react to her sudden confession.

"That is not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be." She assured him.

**AN's 2: I thought that was a fairly decent cliffhanger to leave my amazing readers with in the hopes of making you anticipate the continuation of the scene. Things get pretty intense between Brooke and Julian, more than once, in fact. ;) These two will be all over the place emotionally. Now I am so anxious to hear your thoughts on this update though! I really hope you liked it!! Please let me know your opinions…good or bad! Or even if you just want to yell at me for taking so long and breaking it up into two parts, I can handle that too, I promise. LOL Please know that I think you all are the best readers EVER!!! Yeah, I know everyone says it but it doesn't make it any less true! **** I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holiday! I know I am very thankful to all of you who make sharing this story such an incredible gift for me! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! You all have been so loyal to this story and it continues to astound me in the best possible way!!!**

**Chapter 8B: How will Julian respond to Brooke's confession? Brooke and Julian share more stories about the missing years with one another. It is now or never time for Brooke to finally talk to Julian.**

**Chapter 9: ****Sam conspires once again, though the results aren't what she was hoping for. The long awaited scene…Brooke meets Vanessa! **

**Chapter 10: Sam and Julian have a heart to heart**

**Chapter 11: I wish I could tell you but I am keeping that top secret. However, please feel free to leave me any guesses you may have. LOL**

**To my awesome readers who I was not able to respond to before now…**

**Sunshine ~ I really do appreciate you taking the time to leave me another review despite how crazy life had been for you since you last reviewed! I do hope it has settled down somewhat for you by now though. I appreciate the consideration you have shown by expressing to me how much you adore this story. That is very sweet of you! If you ever get the chance, you should watch the OC, well season 4 anyway, LOL since that was when RT got together. They made the show for me! Plus Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan) is so hot!!! LOL The dinner conversation was so much fun to write. Everyone is so different and yet so similar at times. Yeah Julian was a bit harsh at dinner, wasn't he? I am glad that you were able to understand why he was that way though. Anything that has to do with his past relationship with Brooke is painful for him. I absolutely agree with you that what he said had to be said. He has kept so much of it inside, he definitely needs to let it out. Taylor is such a unique character and she is certainly blunt about things, no topic is really off limits. LOL Someone needed to say something to get Brulian thinking. Those two are quite stubborn sometimes. LOL I don't like the thought of Brooke not having any hope either, that is just way too depressing. She knows she screwed up with him all those years ago and she needs to fix it, if she can! Taylor is a lot like Brooke in most ways, so I could see her trying to keep Brooke positive. Plus Taylor is very perceptive! Of course Sam's handprints were all over the set up. But it was actually more Daniel's idea than Sam's LOL He wanted to make Sam happy and he knew trying to reunite Brulian would do it. LOL It was fun how RT and Sam/Daniel were all in on the set up. I am so happy that you were looking forward to BJu alone time, I hope you enjoyed the latest update! I am not done with these two yet. There is still much to be addressed between them, some of which is coming up in the next chapter. **** I am happy to hear that you are looking forward to seeing how Brooke handles Vanessa, to be honest I am too as I am still working that out in my head. Julian's POV should be interesting regarding that whole situation as well LOL Thank you so much for all of your amazing compliments and also for taking the time to review. It was great to hear from you! I hope to hear from you again soon, but if not I do understand and hope all is well. Thank you!!**

**Sab ~ Yay!!! I am so happy that you loved chapter 7! I am so relieved that you were able to enjoy Taylor's character even though you never watched the OC! She is quite the quirky character but so loveable, for me anyways! LOL Even when she was a brat on the show she was still extremely entertaining. She reminds me a lot of Brooke which is why she is one of my favorite TV characters. LOL Taylor was always very observant when it came to people and relationships. I don't think BJu was any exception to her powers. LOL I agree Brooke and Julian really should do something about the sexual tension between them. Any suggestions? ;) Just kidding, I am pretty sure I know what that means. I will see what I can do about that! **

**I am glad that you were able to understand Julian's reactions to Brooke talking about their relationship's end. Julian is definitely fighting, it's the only thing he can do to protect himself, he isn't as immune to Brooke as he likes to think, as you saw a glimpse of in this chapter and you will see even more in the future ones. Even if Brooke dwells on the past and her regrets she always manages to find the strength to fight, she is incredibly resilient like that. It is one of the things I admire most about her, other than her deep capacity to love! She loves Julian and the fact that she already gave him up once is going to give her the strength she needs to fight for him!!! You will not hear any argument from me that Brooke and Julian deserve their happy ending both in this story and on the show!!! I LOVE this couple far more than it is probably healthy. Just ask the girls on fanforum! LOL I am doing my very best to do right by them, I promise!!! I hope you will let me know what you thought of this BJu alone time. I hope it was angsty enough for you, though some major angst is on its way in the next update!! Good thing you are a fan of angst! **** I don't mind you asking for updates. It makes me giddy that people are enjoying this enough to want more. You readers are the reason this story has gone on the way it has, without you, it would mean nothing. Writing for my own pleasure isn't nearly as fun or satisfying. My true joy is in hearing everyone's reactions. So thank you for blessing me!!! Trust me when I say I am more than happy to provide you with more. I am just sorry that I can't produce updates sooner for everyone. Thank you again for all of your kind words about this story!**

**Rebecca~ I love hearing that you loved the previous chapter and that you thought it was great! The dinner was so much fun and I am thrilled that everyone seems to approve of the interacting between the couples. The trip down memory lane for Brulian was a must for me. It was also fun to revisit RT as well. Both couples had very memorable starts, imo. It is important that Brooke has hope for them because Julian certainly doesn't. You are right though, everything that he DOES or does NOT feel is just an effort to protect himself against experiencing the heartbreak again. Only time will tell if the walls protecting him are high enough and strong enough to withstand Brooke trying to break them down. ** **I hope the Brulian alone time lived up to your expectations. More is coming in the next update. I hope you will enjoy that as well! Thank you so much for your awesome review! I enjoyed hearing from you again!!!**

**Jessy ~ I am so happy that you loved the last update! I agree with you completely, Taylor is very funny and she is right on about Brooke and Julian. I am so happy that you also enjoyed Sam and Daniel. If Daniel is anything like Ryan, which is what I was trying to go for, than how can Sam not like him? LOL Ryan and Taylor as well as Sam and Daniel were a lot of fun to write for. Lucky for me Taylor and Sam make it easy for me to entertain and get away with a lot since they are so vocal with their thoughts. I hope you enjoyed the BJu alone time, more is on it's way. I appreciate your faith in me about the upcoming Vanessa chapter! I wasn't sure how I was going to portray her but I think I have found a solution. *mischievous smile* Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me! Your encouraging words mean so much!!!**

**: ~ Thank you for the request for an update. I am glad you are enjoying the story! **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN's: I am really sorry about the length of time between updates. Please forgive me. The show is slowly killing any inspiration I once had for this couple. I am trying really hard to make sure that is not reflected in my writing though and I hope my efforts were successful. I trust you, my amazing readers, will let me know if I have failed. I am determined to complete this story though mostly because you all have been so wonderful to me. I appreciate my readers more than I am able to express. Your reviews mean the world to me and you are the reason I am trying with everything I am to finish this. Thank you so much for your support and patience with me. I also believe that BJu deserve to have a love story and this is my way of trying to give them one. As much as I love the Brooke and Victoria reconciliation (one of the only things this show has done right this season, imo), I have decided not to include it in this story. The reason for this will be explained in this update. Now with that said, I won't keep you waiting any longer. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH, though if I did I can promise you Alex the hoe-bag would not exist and Brooke would be able to have as many children as she wants with Julian!!! I am also borrowing the title of this chapter "White Flag" by Dido. All mistakes are mine for which I apologize for in advance.**

Chapter 8B: White Flag

_Unaware of Julian's internal struggle, she remarked,"it's pretty easy to do living in a small town. I barely even make the local paper anymore."_

_"Oh I doubt that, Brooke Davis is always news worthy."_

_"Perhaps if I lived here," she agreed. "You should know how it is considering how often you make the headlines with all of your actresses."_

_Julian ignored the bait she was laying before him and focused in on her previous statement. "Is that why you were so insistent on giving the Paps a show today and making headlines while you were here, you miss the limelight?"_

_"No." She should have left it at that but she was tired of playing it safe. There were only going to be so many opportunities to test Julian out and this seemed to be a perfect one. "I was just using their presence as an excuse to get close to you." She answered softly, honestly, anxious to see how he would react to her sudden confession._

_"That is not funny."_

_"It wasn't meant to be."_

As her words registered, Julian stopped in mid step to peer over at her as her answer took him by complete surprise. He suddenly wished the moonlight were brighter. It would have been easier if there were a full moon instead of the half one that currently illuminated the sky, so he could examine what was really lurking in her eyes. He could sense very clearly though that she was absolutely serious, he just didn't understand the significance.

Her timing couldn't have been worse though because before he could even form a response, the sky chose that moment to open up, drowning them in large, cold droplets of water with no warning at all. They froze briefly as Julian debated the best way to seek cover as their clothes were plastered to their bodies from the wet, freezing rain. He looked back to the car which could no longer be seen as they had been walking for quite awhile. He peered ahead and saw the lights from the houses lined along the beach twinkling in the distance, more prominently; he realized **his** house was closer than the car. They were still some distance off but it was ultimately closer. Besides if they went to the car he would still have to take her back to his place for some towels at the very least. Even though he had wanted to avoid this very situation it was obvious Brooke was going to see his place no matter what he did. Resigned he took his hands out of his pockets and reluctantly grabbed one of hers, shouting "come on," as he led her in a run towards the shelter his beach house would provide against the rain.

A few minutes later Julian finally slowed down upon arriving at a set of stone steps that led up to a two story white and glass beach house. Brooke stared at the house in confusion and awe because even in the shadows of the night the house was breathtaking. Beachfront property was a familiar concept to Brooke as her house in Tree Hill was built along the shoreline of the North Carolina beach but this house was so impressive and made her think hers was quaint and lacking compared to this magnificent, modern design. Before Brooke could even get a word out as to why they were here, Julian was ushering her up the steps and under the cover of the second story roof as he produced a set of keys from his pocket, opening the door with one hand since his other was still holding hers securely. It was while she was watching him insert the key into the lock that she realized this spectacular house must belong to him.

Neither one of them said anything as they entered the house and moved no further than the foyer that led into the living room area. Rather than let her gaze wander around the house her eyes settled on Julian, waiting for him to respond to her previous declaration. He remained silent as he closed the door and stood directly in front of her, both of them not paying any attention to the water that dripped off their bodies and created a puddle around their sandy, bare feet. Julian did however notice the fact that Brooke shivered under the intensity of his stare as he saw her teeth begin to chatter slightly from the cooler air in the room. Without any conscious thought about his movements, his feet shuffled a couple inches closer to her, almost as if there was some invisible magnetic force drawing him to her. He only stopped once his body was near enough to share his warmth with her despite the fact that he was just as wet as she was.

His eyes took survey of her gorgeous brown locks plastered to skin, all around her face and down her back. He couldn't explain why she looked like such a lost little girl to him as she stared up at him so intently. Before he could reflect upon that in more depth, the sight of chill bumps appearing on her skin distracted him and it was only as he made a move to touch her that he realized he already was. One hand had yet to let release hold of hers. He gently broke the connection of their linked fingers and brought his now free hands up to her slender shoulders. As soon as his hands made contact with her satin skin, he was momentarily stunned by the charge of electricity that surged into his body, it was so palpable he was amazed he didn't get electrocuted from the current that flowed between them. Overwhelmed but determined to ignore it, he began to run his hands up and down her arms briskly in an attempt to bring heat to her in an effort to chase away the chill she was suffering from.

Brooke was amazed that she was able to stand so motionless under the weight of his hands as they traveled the length of her arms over and over again. She was afraid to do or say anything to break the spell that that both seemed to have fallen under. Her knees went weak at as she recognized the unmistakable lust in his eyes. She had seen it often enough during their short time together so it was easy to identify the meaning of the way his chocolate brown eyes darkened. It was a look that had always made her feel wanted and it was a feeling she never wanted to go away. She yearned for him to kiss her and struggled to control her quickening breaths for fear that even the slight heaving of her chest would ruin the moment. She was helpless to do anything as he slowly leaned in toward her by the smallest of degrees. She was dying to meet him halfway, to close the taunting distance between them but again every instinct inside her shouted at her to keep still and wait for him to come to her. Immobilized and left with nothing else to do she could only will him to come closer with her because she the feel of his lips on hers again and everything else he made her feel. It had been over two years since she has felt this alive and it was torture not to do anything about it just yet. Her heart beat accelerated as she felt his warm breath ghost across her lips.

As he leaned in even closer she vaguely became aware of his hands slowing down their vigorous rubbing until it became a gentle caress, with his hands sliding up her shoulders and rather than drift back down her arms, his slightly rough palms gliding up her slender neck, until his fingers buried themselves in her wet brunette locks at the base of her neck as his lips hovered just a fraction away from hers. They were as close as two people could possibly be without kissing one another and Brooke forced her eyes to remain open and locked on his as she anticipated the feel of his lips against hers after all this time. She still didn't dare to blink or close her eyes reluctant to do anything that would disrupt his focus. Unfortunately all of her careful efforts were in vain as she watched Julian blink rapidly as if coming out of a trance and he abruptly jumped away from Brooke as if he has been shot.

Julian rubbed at his left eye trying to clear it from the drop of water that had fallen into it. That single drop of moisture had saved him from making a colossal error in judgment, not that he had been thinking clearly in the first place. It seemed his ability to think and remain cognitive of the peril she threatened by simply existing dissolved the instant his hands made contact with her silky skin. He had been lost in her; for several glorious minutes he had never wanted to be found again if it meant having to let go of her and that terrified the hell out of him! He quickly realized how essential it was for him to get his head together and the best way to accomplish that was to put some major space between him and Brooke. The first step to doing that was to get her dry so he could get her back to Sam's without any more potentially disastrous mishaps.

"Why don't you follow me upstairs and I will find something warm for you to change into." He suggested already heading in the direction of the stairs, not waiting to see if she followed.

Brooke did, slowly, concentrating on regulating her breathing. To have been that close to him and everything she wanted only to have it taken away at the last possible second was beyond cruel. The loss of his touch caused a physical ache inside of her. Perhaps it was no less that she deserved. It seemed that fate was really making sure she worked to have Julian back in her life. Either that or the universe was conspiring against her to let her know she had her chance and blew it, that she needed to accept that and move on. She refused to believe that though. She may have only realized her true feelings for Julian but that didn't mean it was too late for them. She would just have to try harder. There had to be hope considering he had almost just kissed her with no urging on her part, other than her silent encouragement. Surely that had to mean something. Confident that this was a just a minor set-back Brooke paused next to Julian as he showed her the guest bathroom in the middle of the hallway to the right at the top of the stairs.

"I will be right back," he said as she watched him continue down to the end of the hallway and disappear into what she assumed was his bedroom.

Barely a minute has passed when he retraced his steps holding a light blue men's dress shirt. It didn't escape her notice that he was unable to meet her eyes and was careful not to touch her as he gave her the shirt and explained, "this is the best I could come up with."

"Thank you, this is perfect!" She said softly.

"You're welcome. There are towels in the closet, help yourself. Just let me know if you need anything else."

"I will," she replied before she stepped into the bathroom to change and collect her thoughts.

Coincidently Julian was doing the same thing just a few feet down the hall. He quickly stripped off his wet clothes and hung them in his private bathroom before slipping into a pair of jeans and a plain black polo shirt all the while mentally kicking his own ass for his stupidity. He could not believe how close he had come to obliterating everything he had worked so hard for all these months. Did he have no sense of self preservation at all? He must not since being around Brooke Davis was like falling into a pit of quicksand. The more he fought against it the deeper he was sucked in with no hope of ever getting out, until he was completely submerged, suffocating in a black hole of pain and misery. He really had thought his head and heart were in accord: be friendly but keep his distance from her because if not she would break him all over again and he sincerely doubted he had the strength to put all the pieces back together again after the last time.

On his way out the door Julian noticed his cell phone sitting on the end of his night table, exactly where he had placed it this morning after talking with Brooke. It was only then that he realized he hadn't had it with him at all today. He never left home without it, in fact he usually spent most of his days with the device attached to his ear. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sat down on the edge of the bed, then reached for his blackberry. He had fifty emails waiting to be opened, ten text messages, seventeen missed phone calls, thirteen voicemails, four of which belonged to Vanessa. Seeing her name, it suddenly dawned on him that he had not called and apologized to her like he had intended to this morning before he talked to Brooke. How the hell could one woman, a woman he hadn't spoken with in several years, a woman who shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces, a woman he promised to forget about every day since he had left her, how the hell could one tiny woman possibly disrupt his life in just a day was beyond him. Adamant not to let her wreak havoc on his life any longer, he quickly texted messaged Vanessa inviting her to join him for breakfast tomorrow and promising to spend the entire day with her. Not waiting for a response he returned the phone to the table and left his room.

Completely frustrated with himself he headed back down stairs determined to keep his mind occupied. He stumbled into the kitchen and filled a kettle with hot water to boil on the stove for some tea. Then he wandered into the living room and started a fire. He had hoped the distractions of those tasks would not allow the time to think to about how close he had been to kissing Brooke but he was wrong. It was not helping at all. He still had the time to consider how close he had been to kissing her, to tasting her again. He still had the excruciating time to wonder if her lips felt as soft as he remembered, because they had still looked just as tempting to him. He berated himself because this line of thought was not aiding in his resolve at all. Never in his entire life had he encountered a woman who was so impossible to dismiss from his mind, no matter how much effort he exerted to succeed.

A flash of creamy pale legs descending the stairs caught his attention out of the corner of his eye as he removed the shrilling kettle from the burner. He made the mistake of looking over at her as she entered the area in between the kitchen and his living room. The sight of her in nothing but his light blue dress shirt almost caused him to drop the scalding hot water all over himself. He had forgotten how sexy Brooke Davis looked wearing his shirts. His mind couldn't help but recall all of the times he had seen her wear his shirts before, usually with nothing else on, which led to him recalling that all of those times had ended with him removing the article of clothing to get to her gorgeous body underneath so he could make love to her. Suppressing the memories Julian averted his gaze from her and reached for several cups in one of the cupboards above his head.

Trying to appear engrossed in his task while visions of her in his shirt assaulted his mind, he said****"I was just about to make some tea, would you like some?"****

"Yes, please."

"It will be ready in just a minute."

Brooke nodded and stood awkwardly by the counter that served as a breakfast bar, waiting for him to finish. She tried to take in her surroundings but Julian was done making the tea and handed a cup to her. He silently gestured her away from the kitchen.****

Rather than sit on the plush beige circular couch that occupied a majority of the living room, Julian encouraged Brooke to take a seat in front of the fireplace before joining her both of them cradling the steaming cups. He had placed several cushions down on the floor for them after he had started the fire figuring this would be the best place for her to dry her hair. He hadn't considered the implications of it being a romantic setting and recognized the potential dangers until it was too late when he saw Brooke sitting there with the firelight playing against her features. The play of the blaze from the fire brought out the natural red highlights in her hair and the reflection of the flames gave her already glowing skin even more of a luminous radiance. She quite literally took his breath away. Brooke was always beautiful but tonight she was extremely gorgeous. He found the image of her too painful for his eyes to behold and he was forced to close them for a few moments as he tried to get his thoughts under control. Had he given them free reign he would have to admit that Brooke looked absolutely perfect with the burning fire as a backlight, only enhancing her natural beauty and reminding him of all the infinite times he had imagined her in this very room with him. How many times had he imagined spending his nights with her just like this, the only exception being that in his mind they were always snuggled together, wrapped around one another. The reality was just as beautiful and just as brutal to his heart.

"How did you get possession of Clothes over Bros again?" Julian asked hoping to distract himself from the direction his thoughts were taking, knowing it would be difficult to tune out the sound of her raspy voice if she were talking/

Ignoring the sharp pangs of disappointment that he didn't pick up their conversation from the beach before they were interrupted by Mother Nature's idea of a cruel joke in the form of a rain storm, she confided, "basically I did it to protect Sam," she confided.

Not expecting that answer at all, she had his full attention, thankfully distracting him from his previous thoughts. "How so? Protect her from what?" Julian inquired, instantly on the alert at the idea of Sam being in jeopardy. His stomach was in knots at the mere mention of Sam being in any kind of trouble.

"Bictoria was lurking around and I didn't like it. She came to town a couple of days after you left town, explaining that the company was in trouble and needed me back. She tried to play on my sympathies and pointed out how many people would be affected if I didn't come back. I felt bad but I also couldn't help but feel a little vindicated because after all the times she told me that I was insignificant to the company and easily replaced, there she was practically admitting her failure to succeed without me. But even that wasn't enough to force me to go back, not after I had been free of her and how bad she constantly made me feel. I had a life, one I chose and I was on my way to recapturing my dream on my own terms. I was burying myself in work, and I was feeling inspired in ways I haven't been since high school." Brooke confided, desperately hoping that Julian would understand the underlying implication she was subtly trying to impart to him. Her heartbreak over losing him had been the inspiration for her comeback as much as her original heartbreak over Lucas fueled her business to life all those years ago.

"So what changed?"

Not certain if he understood, Brooke decided it was best just to answer his question and circle back if necessary later on. The night was still young even if it was creeping towards eleven. "She wouldn't take no for an answer and was lurking, mostly around Sam. She was taking her shopping and being her friend at a time when Sam was vulnerable. Sam was mad at me because I drove you away, she was sad that Jack was gone and she was blaming herself for Haley no longer being able to teach. I didn't trust Bitchoria's motives. I knew that she was mostly likely using Sam to get to me, but I wasn't going to give her a chance to hurt and damage Sam the way she did to me. So I agreed to come back to the company, on the conditions that I receive controlling interest and she stayed away from Sam. If she could agree to those terms, then I would return."

"Why not just fire her if you had your company back?"

"I thought about it, believe me. But despite everything Bitchoria is good at what she does and she is an asset to the company even if she is a tyrant to work for or with. More importantly was the fact that if I kept her around I could keep her busy in New York and as far away from Sam as possible. It seemed the best solution for everyone to get what they wanted."

"Is it still difficult to work with her?"

"Not really, I let go of all my dreams of having a mother when I let go of my company the first time. She may not have been responsible for the attack on me at the store but the fact that I even suspected her of being capable of that speaks volumes for me. Now that I have accepted our relationship for what it is, it is easier to deal with her, she no longer has the power over me that she once did now that I am not seeking her constant approval and love. We actually have a pretty decent working relationship now."

"I am happy that you got your company back even though I am sure your new one would have been equally successful. It just never seemed right that you had to give up Clothes over Bros in the first place but I really am glad to hear it all worked out for you." He said sincerely. Her tale only reminded him of her incredible strength, it was the second thing he admired most about her. The first being her huge heart, he had never met anyone with a bigger heart than Brooke Davis despite the fact that she protected it with everything she had. She wasn't afraid to love, she just didn't know how to trust someone else to protect her heart for her, a sentiment he could appreciate. After everything he had been through because of her he could now relate to that more than ever before, even if he didn't necessarily agree with her choices. But that stopped being his business the moment he boarded a plane back to LA alone.

"Thank you." She paused, taking a sip of her tea before speaking again. "Since we are on the subject of parents and careers, you never told me how Paul feels about all of your success. Has "one of these days" finally arrived for him to admit that he was wrong about you and your talent?"

Julian shook his head as he took a sip of his tea. "Not exactly, much like you, I have realized that nothing I ever do is going to impress him. He only sees that I am where I am today because of him."

"I am really sorry to hear that Julian."

He shrugged off her concern. "It happens, right? This is real life and unfortunately that means that things aren't always wrapped up by the time the credits roll." Anxious to shift the focus, he asked, "has Sam ever told you about the time she met Paul?" He could not control the automatic grin that appeared on his face at the mere recollection of that encounter.

It was really rather ridiculous the way that his grin could affect her. It was so disarming, so distracting and it made it difficult to concentrate on the current topic. However she was intrigued by the mischief she saw in his eyes and had to inquire. "No. How did that happen?"

"Oh it was quite entertaining actually. My father was pissed that I couldn't make a meeting because I had plans. So he tracked me down later on as I was having dinner with Samson. He thought I was on a date until Sam corrected his assumption."

Brooke laughed imaging how well that conversation must have gone, knowing Sam the way she did. Julian joined in with her laughter because the memory was absolutely priceless.

"Afterwards she invited him to join us and then proceeded to grill him on everything he knew about the business from the studio's perspective of things. I could tell my father actually enjoyed her, well up until it was time for him to leave anyways." He added with another heart stopping smirk.

"Oh no! What happened?" Brooke asked already cringing in anticipation of his explanation, anxious to hear a summary of Sam's antics during their encounter, up until now she sounded way too tame and that wasn't like her at all.

"He was getting up to leave when Sam told him that he wouldn't be such a bad guy if he weren't a complete dick to his son."

Brooke covered her hands with her mouth as it dropped open. "She did not?!" Brooke exclaimed.

Julian grinned and nodded his head. "She most certainly did and I couldn't have been more proud!" He admitted. "The shock on my father's face was worth it. I have never seen him speechless. Once he recovered the best he could come up with was to scold her for her mouth before he stormed out of the restaurant, muttering something about the disrespect of youth today."

Brooke giggled, enjoying that story for a moment longer before sobering up to add, "I am proud of her as well for standing up for you the way she did with Paul. I hope you know that you are a success because of your own talent, not because of who your father is or how he may have helped you once upon time. It is your own ideas and creative vision that make the movies you produce such a hit and that has absolutely nothing to do with him!"

"Thank you for saying that. It really doesn't bother me anymore. I gave up on the idea of "one of these days and someday" awhile ago. It wouldn't be the same in any case, since it would come too late."

She missed hearing the optimism in his voice, the hope that one day things would be right between him and his father. She didn't like knowing that Julian accepted defeat and it absolutely broke her heart to know that she was just as guilty as Paul for mistreating this incredible man! She should have cherished him when she had the chance and she could have spared him from the pain she had inflicted because of her own stubborn insecurities that seemed so trivial now looking at this changed man in front of her, so different from the guy who had fought for her and yet he was still Julian, just one with walls, which she could recognize as she had built walls to protect her own heart once upon a time.

Deciding it was now or never Brooke took a deep breath and meeting his gaze directly she asked, "are we ever going to talk about what Taylor said tonight?"

He had been wondering if she would bring this up since the moment Ryan and Taylor left them alone. He had suspected the chances were high that she would especially in light of her confession on the beach about wanting the chance to be close to him again. Part of him had hoped since the rain had ruined the moment she would have forgotten about it. But there was another part of him that was dying to understanding the meaning of her confession. That was the part he had to fight against as he told himself it shouldn't matter what she meant by her comment, what had once been between them was in the past and needed to remain that way.

"We have had more than two years to say something. Why start now?" He sighed. "You cannot go back and edit a movie once it has been spliced together and shown to the public."

If he wanted to have this discussion using movie analogies, that was fine with her. At least he was talking. "How about a sequel then?"

"Only blockbuster hits have a sequel and even then often times the movie isn't as good as the original."

"But you can't make a definite determination of that until you read the script." She reasoned, patiently.

"Why bother when the original story ended up on the cutting room floor? There can't be a sequel if the first movie was such a dismal failure." He argued back, suddenly jumping to his feet. "It would be a complete waste of everyone's time."

"Maybe this story could have a better ending?" She persisted, standing up as well.

"I don't see how that is possible with the original characters. Maybe if it was a different story with new characters," he shrugged before adding, "but it's not."

"So you wouldn't even entertain the possibility of a rewrite?" She asked, fully comprehending the fact that there was no where left to go with the conversation after this if he proceeded to answer in the negative.

Julian shook his head, "not every movie has a happy ending where the main characters end up together. That is what they call a tragedy but it doesn't mean it was not a good story." He concluded, more gently than he intended to. It hurt to remain looking at her as he identified the absolute sadness that reflected in her eyes. Everything inside him was twisted into knots as he watched her hazel eyes turn greener with each second that passed, an undeniable sign of the impact his words had on her. Witnessing the change of her eye color and understanding the connotation of his words caused the ice around his heart to thaw. He struggled with not wanting to feel this way, not wanting to feel anything at all in regard to Brooke Davis. This was precisely why he hadn't wanted to discuss anything to do with their complicated past. It just hurt too damn much and reminded him of how vulnerable he was when it came to her. He might have stood a chance against fighting his own feelings but her apparent vulnerabilities were making him impossibly weak.

I took her a moment to find the ability to respond, to push down the crushing pain that consumed every part of her. "Sometimes the beauty is in the attempt, isn't that what you once told me?"

"Exactly."

Now it was Brooke's turn to sigh. Realizing that was swiftly losing ground in her campaign to win his heart back, she silently acknowledged that she may not be equipped as to break through his walls after all, no matter how much she wanted to. They were too high to scale with her words, he had years to build them up. He was obviously well prepared for a sneak attack since he seemed unaffected by her attempts to reach him. Though there was a tiny part of her that refused to believe this was the end of the road. How could that be true though when there was still something there between them, she had seen it in his eyes as her had been about to kiss her. She hadn't imagined it. If she could just get him to admit that then maybe she still had a chance. It was a long shot and she knew she would regret not taking it.

"So what about the almost kiss. What did that mean?" Brooke wondered aloud.

"An almost kiss has no meaning at all except to say that we narrowly avoided making a huge mistake."

"It didn't feel like a mistake when I was in standing in your arms. Are you saying you didn't want to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss you?" She challenged him to deny it.

Knowing he didn't have a good enough explanation and if he remained in her presence much longer she was going to succeed in breaking down his walls. He needed to get away from her immediately. "I can't do this Brooke!" He replied before walking away from her, putting the crucial distance he needed between them. He climbed the stairs and didn't stop until he reached the sanctuary of his bedroom and closed the door.

Brooke sank down on to the arm of the couch for several moments accepting her failure to gain another chance with Julian. It was time to raise the white flag. She had exhausted all of her options, it was time to surrender and accept the bitter taste of defeat. Tears filled her eyes and she struggled to keep them at bay, needing to fall apart but determined to do it as far away from Julian as possible. With that goal being her only focus, she quickly walked over to a counter in the kitchen and found an envelope with his address on it in a stack of mail piled against the wall. Taking several deep breaths to compose herself, she picked up the cordless phone also resting on the counter and dialed information for a number to a local cab company.

With that done, she made her way back up the marble steps and into the bathroom to exchange his shirt for her still soaking clothes. She immediately missed the smell of Julian's shirt which brought about a fresh set of tears as she hugged the shirt to her for some time before she finally found the strength to hang it up on a hook on the back of the door. She paused in the hallway and looked towards his bedroom door momentarily before continuing to walk back down the stairs, respecting his need for space. She stood in front of the fire in the hopes it would dry her dress a bit more while she waited for the cab to arrive. She was careful to keep her mind clear of all thoughts as she stared into the fire, not really seeing the flames, just the ashes of what once was. Fifteen minutes later a knock on the door captured Brooke's attention. Smoothing out her wet dress, Brooke made her way to the door and upon opening it she informed the driver she would be right out. After closing the door, she retraced her steps up the stairs and then down the hall. After taking several deeps breaths she prepared to knock on his door when it opened unexpectedly and Julian walked right into her.

Startled he reached out to her, grabbing on to her waist to steady her briefly before quickly releasing her once he was certain she would not fall back on her lovely bottom. "Sorry, I didn't expect to see you there."

"I was just coming to let you know I was leaving. I called a cab. It's outside waiting for me." She explained.

"You didn't have to do that Brooke. I was going to take you back to Sam's."

"I think this is for the best." It was hard to look him in the eyes, finally comprehending everything she had lost, not just now but more than two years ago. "I am sorry." She replied quietly.

"So am I." He said just as quietly.

There was so much more she longed to say, so much she wanted to do but now it was she who desired to get away from him. Being in such close proximity was going to be her undoing. "Good-bye Julian."

"Good-bye Brooke."

Leaning against the door frame for support, his gaze followed her movements as she walked down the hallway and to the beginning of the staircase. He watched as she paused to take one last look at him. Their eyes caught and held for an intense moment before she walked down the two sets of stairs. A few moments later he heard the front door softly shut behind her in the stillness of his house. Alone again, he closed his eyes waiting for a sense of peace to replace the regret that dominated his mind and more importantly his heart. This is what he wanted, he kept repeating to himself over and over in an effort to obliterate the perception of loss that unexpectedly consumed him. Why did it feel like he was losing her all over again?

Though Brooke was freezing she welcomed the numbing cold, wishing it would somehow seep into her heart, making everything about her completely numb. Brokenly she slowly followed the path to the waiting taxi. Opening the door, she caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Julian rush out the door towards her. Her heart feels like it is about to burst from the hope that is blooming inside of her as he says, "Brooke wait."

As she anxiously waited for him to cross the distance between them she cannot help but think he was going to ask her to stay so they could work things out. Once again her hopes were destroyed when he held up a set of keys in front of her and she could only stare at them in confusion.

"You are going to need these to get the rest of your things from my car."

"Oh, right." She said, looking intently at the keys rather than into his beautiful eyes. She didn't want him to see how much this was killing her, not to mention it hurt too much to even look at him. It hurt too much to breathe, everything just _hurt_ way too much. "I completely forgot about that."

"I almost did too. This is a spare set, so just lock up my car and give the keys to Sam. I'll get them back some other time."

Finally she found the courage to look him in the eyes; once she was sure she had her emotions under a semblance of control. "Are you sure?" She asked quietly, knowing she wasn't just asking about the keys and she hoped her facial features and her tone conveyed that to him.

He hesitated. Was he sure? Honestly, no, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. But keeping that admission to himself, he nodded his head and replied, "yes."

Heart aching and her throat so tight she wondered if she would ever be able to speak again, let alone breathe, she took the keys from him being extremely careful not to make any contact with him, knowing that would push her over the edge she was barely holding on to. "Thank you," she whispered before sliding in to the back of the car. As soon as she was settled in, Julian closed the door firmly and remained outside until the lights of the cab disappeared from view.

Brooke collected her purse and shoes from Julian's car and barely managed to keep all of the overwhelming anguish inside until she reached the safety of Sam's, who thankfully, had not yet made it back home. In the solitude she broke down, releasing the storm of tears, wanting to release all the agony before she had to face her daughter's disappointment. Brooke would deal with her own when she was far away from this place and in the comfort of her own home.

**AN2: Now before you all start throwing things at me just remember that if they had managed to fix things in this chapter there would be no need for Brooke to meet Vanessa, right? Besides that, when have BJu ever made it easy?! With that being said I hope you enjoyed the update and understand why I don't see BJu fixing things in one night. Julian has too many walls up and Brooke isn't sure what else she can do to knock them down when he will not even listen to her. I would love to hear your thoughts…they always brighten my day and never fail to make me smile. Thank you for reading! You are still the best readers EVER to exist on !!! :D**

**Reminder of what is still to come…**

**Chapter 9: Sam conspires once again, though the results aren't what she was hoping for. The long awaited scene…Brooke meets Vanessa! I am also hoping to include some Brooke / Sam alone time but I make no promises. We shall see if the inspiration strikes for that. If there is anything you would like to see happen with that please let me know, I need ideas. :D**

**Chapter 10: Sam and Julian have a heart to heart**

**Chapter 11: I wish I could tell you but I am keeping that top secret. However, please feel free to leave me any guesses you may have. LOL**

**Now for those reviews I did not get a chance to respond to before now…**

**Sunshine ~ Words cannot express how much I appreciate your review! It is amazing to read and it makes me smile. I am honored that you take the time and effort to spoil me as you do with the beautiful reviews for this story. I am truly blessed!!! Thank you so much for telling me that my fears are unfounded. I know I just need to get over it already but the response I receive from my readers only makes me strive for the best I can give, it is what you all deserve for the way you have embraced this story!! **

**I am glad to hear you life has settled down now. I hope it remains that way for you! **

**Seth and Summer from the OC were adorable but Ryan and Taylor won for heart! But I know everyone has their preference. But I do agree you would have to watch for yourself to know. :D**

**It give me great joy to know that you can understand why Brooke and Julian are acting as they are. It makes me feel good to know that most agree with how they are being written based on all that they have experienced with one another. I don't imagine that this would be an easy situation to be in after all that has gone down between them and the time that has passed. I am trying my best to show that Julian does still care even if he doesn't want to. Brooke may have broken his heart but she also gave him some of his happiest memories, how can he not care about her? I am relieved that you can see why he is being so standoffish in regards to Brooke. The simple fact is neither one of them is a bad guy, they have both made mistakes and I am enjoying telling both sides of their story immensely. I love that my readers aren't necessary team Brooke or team Julian; they are Team Brulian; which is what I am aiming for. I try not to favor one over the other but sometimes it is hard trying to balance this love story out. I hope that all of my readers would call me out on this if I do ever stray from the path of equal POV's. I think it is essential for Brooke to see Julian's point of view if she has any hope of ever reaching him. **

**I had a lot of fun with the Brooke playtime part. It seemed like a good opportunity to torture Julian for a second or two and bring out Brooke's playful side as well. We don't see that enough these days and I miss that. I try to give some lighter moments when I can throw them in. It makes me smile to know that it was your favorite part. **

**You are absolutely right, they do need to talk unfortunately that is hard to do when one party is so reluctant to listen or even contemplate what is trying to be said between the lines. I hope you will stay with me to find out what happens next. I really hope that I haven't disappointed you with the events that took place in Chapter 8B. I would hate to fail after the amazing compliments that you have given me about me seeming to know what you want to see happen in this story. I promise I will make things right for Team Brulian! **

**I am sorry that I haven't updated before this, I hope you don't think I have made you wait forever. This chapter was difficult to write thanks to the angst BJu are dealing with on the show these days. Thank you again for your reviews, I treasure them!**

**Sab~ Thank you so much for your lovely review!!! I love getting such great feedback. I am really glad that you found the awkwardness between them to be realistic. There is so much that needs to be said between them; Brooke may be willing to talk but she is also afraid of Julian's reaction and Julian is just protecting his heart and doesn't want to open himself up to any kind of pain that she can cause. So the silences seem to be a given in my mind. It is up to Brooke to break them since she kind of caused this in the first place. I am glad you are enjoying the subtle ways Julian is letting Brooke know he still cares about her. I think Brooke definitely wanted to know about Julian's love life as much as you do. LOL Hinting around to it seemed like something she would do. :D More about that will be revealed next chapter!**

**The beach does seem to be BJu's place. I am happy that their scenes reminded you of 7.01, that was a happy episode for them, for the most part. Julian can be rather frustrating and stubborn in his resolve to keep Brooke at a distance. I hope you enjoyed the contact they had in this latest chapter. :P**

**Brooke has Julian's number and her knowing how he is and why he is acting the way he is should give her the advantage in this situation. Time will tell if she breaks down his walls the way he eventually did. It is a battle of who can be the stubborn of the two: Julian or Brooke. Any guesses as to who will win? LOL**

**I am relieved you didn't mind the chapter being split up. I would have hated to make you wait as long as I have with this last update. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the update and I hope you will let me know what you think of this one. It was harder to write than the previous chapters so I am anxious to hear any thoughts you may care to share. Thank you for all of your awesome reviews, I always look forward to hearing what you have to say! **

**Jessy~ I am really happy that you loved the last update. LOL I don't mean to be such a tease, well maybe just a little bit of one. I hope this chapter hasn't disappointed you too much with how this all played out. You will get a better look inside of Julian' s mind in a Chapter ten about everything that took place in this one. He has a lot to process. Thank you as always for your wonderful review. It great to hear from you! **


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: The much anticipated update and I am nervous as hell! LOL I have mixed emotions about this one. It was harder to write Vanessa in than I thought it would be especially with this season's storyline and the way it is playing out. I went back and forth on how I wanted Vanessa to be, did I want her to be nice or catty? It took me awhile but I finally found some inspiration and this was the end result after several attempts. I hope you are not disappointed. I shall look forward to hearing your thoughts…good or bad. Thank you so much for following this story with so much enthusiasm! I love everyone one my readers and you leave me in awe every time!!!! **

**Thank you to Sab for recommending the song "Where I Stood" in her review for Ch. 4. I thought it fit fairly well with this chapters events and decided use it for the title of this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I ****do not own anything affiliate with OTH. I am also just borrowing the song title "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins for the title chapter. All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance. **

**SOTEOS 10: Where I Stood**

"Dare I ask where you have been?" Brooke asked with a devious smile for her daughter, all traces of her crying had been carefully masked. She hadn't wanted to leave behind any evidence of how completely destroyed she was on the inside. Her daughter did not need to see that.

"You're here." Sam replied closing the door and tossing her keys onto the table by the door as she strolled in at 6am on Sunday morning.

"Of course I am, where else would I be?"

"Oh I don't know maybe in Julian's bed."

"Samantha!"

"What? It's not like you have never had sex with the guy before."

"You're not supposed to talk about your parent's sex life."

"No, I am not supposed to see my parents having sex. That can scar a kid for life you know."

"So you have mentioned several times before, as most recently as last night at dinner."

"It's true. But I can handle talking about it though."

"Too bad I can't. My sex life-,"

"Or lack thereof." Sam quickly interjected with a smirk.

Earning a glare from Brooke as she continued, "is not up for discussion."

"It's not like I am asking for details or anything." Sam shrugged. She moved Brooke's feet out of the way before she plopped down on to the couch. "So tell me about last night."

"It was a disaster."

"Figures I cannot leave the two of you alone." She rolled her eyes. "What happened?"

"I am going to spare you the details and just give you the abbreviated version which is this, Julian made it very clear that he is no longer interested and he really has moved on."

"He told you he didn't love you anymore?" Sam inquired.

Brooke shook her head. "Well, no."

"And what did he say when you told him you were in love with him?"

"I didn't exactly tell him," Brooke admitted hesitantly.

"Mmm-hmm, so how exactly did you determine that he has moved on if neither one of you talked about your feelings?"

Brooke resisted the urge to squirm under her daughter's intense stare. If the subject of conversation had not been so depressing, Brooke would have laughed at the obvious role reversal taking place in this instance. "I may have hinted to him of my interest, in a subtle way of trying to feel him out on the subject of us. Then he started using all these movie metaphors and he just shot down all of my arguments, which led me to the conclusion that he truly has moved on. I mean really, what could I expect? It has been over two years since we broke up; of course he has moved on."

Sam just sat silently for a long while, staring at Brooke as if she were trying to puzzle something out. "Seriously?! That is all you have got? You call that effort?"

"Yes, I do! I tried!" Brooke objected.

"No you half-assed it! You played it safe, mom. You are never going to get anywhere if you are not willing to risk your heart."

"I want to; I just don't know if I can." Brooke confided. "I did admit to him though that I was using the paparazzi as an excuse to get close to him."

"That is good." Sam encouraged. "What did he say when you told him?"

"Nothing because the universe chose that moment to conspire against me in the form of a sudden down pour which forced us to seek refuge at his place."

"Ah so you did go back to his house then after all." Sam teased with a knowing smirk.

"Yes but nothing happened. Though there was the incident with the almost kiss."

Sam got up on her knees in excitement at this bit of news. "Really! Who would have initiated the kiss?"

"Julian, I was too terrified to move even though my hands were itching to grab on to him and never let go."

"Yeah, he is so over you mom!" Sam scoffed.

"He is also the one who put a stop to it at the last possible second. He said it meant nothing, just that we narrowly avoided making a huge mistake." Brooke quoted, his words echoing painfully in her mind.

"Clearly he is protesting too much! I thought you were fluent in boy. You should be able to decode his obvious behavior without even trying."

"You weren't there Sam. I gave him sufficient opportunity to at least meet me halfway."

"It is going to take more than that mom. You broke his heart. He is not going to let you back in so easily. You are going to have to tell him how you feel if you want him to take you seriously. He made himself vulnerable to you before, now it is your turn."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Of course you can! You are Brooke Davis, you're brilliant and beautiful and brave."

"I am not that brave."

"Yes you are. Now promise me you will think about it."

"I promise."

"Good. Now come on, let's get dressed." Sam suggested.

"Why?"

"I want to take you to breakfast."

"Why don't we just stay in and I will cook for us. I can make your favorite."

Sam shook her head. "No, you have had a rough night. Let me take care of you for a change."

"You really don't have to do that."

"I know but I want to. I know the perfect place."

Brooke sighed. "If you insist."

"I do. If you want to cook my favorite breakfast tomorrow though, I certainly won't stop you."

"That sounds fair to me. What time is your first class?"

"Ten, I only have two classes tomorrow so I should be home by two that way I can spend some time with you before you head back."

"Great! While you're gone, I will go downtown and check out the store."

"I could skip and go with you."

"I never encouraged you to skip school before, what makes you think I would encourage you to skip now, especially when I am paying for your education?"

"Right, so I am going to go get dressed right now."

"Yeah, you do that. You better not be skipping your classes young lady. Your education is very important."

"Blah, blah, yeah, yeah, I get it." She said escaping into her room before Brooke could dive into a full on lecture.

An hour later after having to endure an endless amount of teasing from Brooke in regards to Daniel and where she had been all night, Sam led Brooke to a red BMW convertible located in the parking garage of her apartment building.

Brooke stared at the car in confusion. "Sam what is this?"

Sam rolled her eyes as she patiently explained, "it's a car."

"I am aware of that. Whose is it?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at her daughter

"Mine." Sam answered quietly.

"You better start explaining missy."

Sam huffed and rolled her eyes. "It was a belated graduation present."

"From who?" Brooke demanded to know, needing Sam to confirm her suspicions.

"Julian." Sam mumbled.

Brooke heard her clear enough since the answer was just as she expected and sighed loudly. "He shouldn't have done that."

"Try telling that to Julian. He doesn't know how to take no for an answer."

"He is stubborn that way," she agreed.

"Oh please like you have any room to criticize."

"Hey, I am not stubborn!"

Sam gave her a look of utter disbelief.

Brooke shrugged, "maybe sometimes. But didn't he send you a card for graduation?" Brooke recalled how her heart used to skip a beat every time she had retrieved the mail and seen his scribble on an envelope, always addressed to Sam though. She used to be so disappointed there was never a letter for her, not that she ever expected one but that never stopped her from hoping for one.

"Yeah. He said he couldn't let the official day go by without sending something to acknowledge my accomplishment."

"I am going to have to have a talk with him. He spoils you."

"Tell me about it." Though Brooke had no idea the true extent to which Julian spoiled her. Sam wisely decided now was not the time to tell her what else Julian had given her upon her relocation to LA. "Can we go? I am starving."

"Partying will do that to you." Brooke replied with a smirk.

"I didn't really go to a party, how many times do I have to tell you? Daniel and I hung out with his parents for a while before we went back to his dorm and then hung out there before we fell asleep for awhile watching a movie."

Brooke and Sam settled into the car and as they buckled their seat belts, Brooke replied, "which reminds me, I really need to teach you the art of subtly."

"Hey I think I did just fine!"

"You were so obvious! Julian and I were perfectly aware of what you were doing. Were Ryan and Taylor in on it from the very beginning as well?"

Sam smirked triumphantly, "what do you think the phone call was about?"

"Yeah their sudden departure, so soon after yours, wasn't suspicious at all!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Whatever! We achieved the main goal. You and Julian spent the evening alone together."

"Nothing happened, remember!" Brooke protested.

"Probably more than you think." Sam insisted.

"You're right, it was a complete debacle."

"I wouldn't go that far, drama queen! Though the outcome would have been better had you just told him you loved him!"

Brooke shook her head and muttered, "Julian and I are not the only ones who are stubborn."

"I am only following the example you two have set for me."

"Oh shut it!" Brooke said causing Sam to laugh, delighted to have the last word.

Sam smiled secretly on the inside as her mother was about to learn that she could indeed be subtle when she had the proper time to plan. Brooke wouldn't see what came next.

Unfortunately neither would Sam.

*****************

Julian scanned the crowded café and immediately noticed that his favorite table was currently occupied, by Sam and Brooke. Sensing disaster looming on the horizon, he tried to quickly disappear without being seen. But he realized that opportunity faded away as soon as he heard his name. The girl he considered his daughter in every way that mattered had a lot to answer for as soon as her mother left town. Knowing he had no other choice, he approached their table, HIS favorite table! A fact which Sam was perfectly aware of as she knew he dined here every Sunday morning without fail. Hell, she had accompanied him several times, he thought with annoyance.

"Julian!" Sam exclaimed feigning surprise.

"Good morning, Brooke." Julian greeted, glancing at her briefly, long enough to take note of her own suspicion. It seemed she was just as surprised as he was. He turned his gaze onto the mischievous young girl. "Samantha!" He had the satisfaction of making her squirm at the use of her full name rather than one of the many nicknames he reserved exclusively for her. Unless she was in trouble with him, which she clearly was! This was twice now that she had set him and Brooke up, third if you counted the fiasco that was Friday night since she had purposely left Brooke in the dark about that one, even if he hadn't been. What she hoped to gain he had yet to figure out but he planned to interrogate her the very first chance he got her alone.

Brooke took one look at Julian's face and knew exactly what was going on. "Samantha!" Brooke exclaimed, echoing Julian.

"What?!" She asked innocently.

"You know exactly what!" Julian admonished.

"I cannot believe you!" Brooke hissed at her.

Knowing the game was over, Sam shrugged, admitting defeat. It wasn't like there was anything either one of them could do about it now. Besides she wouldn't have to resort to these childish games if they were the adults they claimed to be and actually dealt with their feelings for one another. "Hey wasn't there something you wanted to talk to Julian about." Sam asked quickly, trying to deflect her mother's current annoyance on to Julian.

Brooke gave her a fierce glare. "I don't believe so." Surely Sam wasn't going to force her to say anything to Julian, in a public place of all settings.

"Are you sure? I distinctly remember you saying that you were going to have a talk with Julian about how much he spoils me."

Julian looked back and forth at both girls in confusion.

Brooke breathed out a deep sigh of relief. For a minute there she had been afraid Sam had been on the verge of telling Julian about her feelings for him. "Oh yeah, so really Julian, a brand new car for her graduation present?" Brooke replied as she gave him a direct stare.

"Oh that," he smirked even as he shrugged in a gesture that reminded her of Sam. "Come on, I couldn't have us both worrying about her using public transportation."

"Ok but a convertible?" She replied arching her eyebrow at him.

"It is LA, everyone drives a convertible." He gave her his most charming grin, the one she once referred to as being illegal.

Brooke shook her head, trying not to be charmed but damn that grin made her forget everything except how gorgeous he was just like the first time she ever saw it. Hiding the smile she felt, Brooke replied, "that grin isn't going to get you anywhere with me."

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Julian was reminded of his third meeting with Brooke back in Tree Hill. Rather than focus on that, Julian distracted himself by trying to tone down the magnitude of his grin as he figured Sam hadn't informed Brooke about the college fund he had started for Sam several years ago, the one in which he still put money into on a regular basis. He certainly wasn't going to be the one to break the news to Brooke either. He could only imagine her reaction to that compared to the mini-lecture she was giving him about the car.

"Well since you are here, you might as well join us." Sam invited with a smile, pleased to have diverted their attention off of her for the moment.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Julian protested.

"Why not?" Sam asked

Before Julian could form an answer, a beautiful blonde appeared by his side and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Sam rolled her eyes.

Brooke felt like a knife had been plunged into her chest and she was having difficulty breathing. The beating she once suffered from didn't even compare to the pain she was suddenly feeling now as she witnessed their kiss.

Vanessa had yet to notice they had an audience as she said, "sorry I took so long, there was a line."

Julian nodded his head but gave no verbal response as he could not take his eyes away from Sam and Brooke, well mostly Sam because for some reason he couldn't bare to look Brooke in the eyes. He didn't want o give himself time to decipher what was in her hazel eyes for fear of what he might find there, or **not** find there. He somehow felt culpable for having Vanessa stand next to him and that annoyed him because he wasn't doing anything wrong.

Brooke couldn't help but wish she were anywhere else in the world at this very moment. It was one thing to know that Julian had a girlfriend but to actually see him with her, it was just too much. And yet she could do nothing but sit there and desperately hope they would leave soon. From her seat, Brooke watched as Vanessa registered that Julian's attention was not focused on her and she turned to see what the distraction was.

"Oh Samantha, hi!" She replied in a high pitch preppy voice, which cause Sam to wince.

"Hey," Sam responded in a voice devoid of any emotion, making it clear that she was less than enthusiastic to see her.

Brooke recognized the barely civil greeting and kicked her daughter under the table.

Sam mumbled a quiet "ow," and reached under the table to rub her injured shin.

Julian also noticed the lack of enthusiasm in her response and gave the young girl a glare with a clear warning to behave.

Sam sighed as she sat back in her chair, deciding it was best not to say or do anything else since she was already in enough trouble as it was.

To break the awkward silence that engulfed them, Julian said, "Vanessa I would like you to meet Sam's mother, Brooke Davis. Brooke this is Vanessa Barrett."

Brooke put on an overly bright smile to disguise the pain that was exploding inside her heart at hearing his words. Is that really all she was to him now, just Sam's mother? She could understand him not saying I would like you to meet my ex-girlfriend Brooke Davis. But couldn't he have introduced her as a friend of his, or an old friend, anything to give her more significance to his life other than just being Sam's mother. Not that she didn't love the title, but she wanted to know that she meant more to him than just that after everything that had transpired between them.

"It's nice to meet you." Brooke said politely with a smile that she hoped didn't appear as forced as it felt on her lips.

Vanessa nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Why don't we go check on our table?" Julian suggested unable to withstand the subtle accusation in Sam's eyes. It was ridiculous the way the weight of her stare made him feel. He was allowed to bring a date to his favorite restaurant; he had nothing to feel guilty about. Yet he did.

"I would like to stay and chat with Sam and her mom, if you don't mind." Vanessa replied.

Of course he minded but it wasn't like he could actually say anything to that effect. Not without looking like an ass in any case. He had no idea why he was so nervous at the prospect of leaving the three women alone but he was, in the extreme. To cover his apprehension though he flashed them his most charming smirk as he squeezed Vanessa's waist and murmured, "of course. I will be right back." He placed an absent kiss on side of her blonde head before he retreated. As he walked away he heard Vanessa ask, "you're a fashion designer, aren't you? "

Julian breathed a sigh of relief realizing there was no need for him to be nervous about leaving his current girlfriend with his ex-girlfriend / love of his life and the daughter that they shared. They were all adults. Besides what could damage could they possibly cause in the few minutes he would be gone.

Had the girls been privy to Julian's thoughts Sam would have been the first to inform him that he really was clueless when it came to women apparently. A lot of damage could occur in the space of just a few minutes.

"I am, yes." Brooke confirmed with another polite smile answering Vanessa's inquiry about her profession. "Are you a model?" She guessed because Vanessa was beautiful, very tall and thin with a face that the camera would adore.

"No, I am an actress actually."

This news didn't surprise Brooke at all though, given how beautiful the girl was. Not making any effort to further the conversation, Brooke patiently waited for the woman to reveal the real reason she had wanted to stay behind. One look into her eyes was all it took for Brooke to identify that she had an agenda. She refused to engage until she found out what it was.

"I am surprised you are familiar with her designs." Sam commented with a disgusted look at the tight short barely there black dress off the shoulder dress that Vanessa was flaunting. "She doesn't seem like your style."

"Oh she definitely is not." Vanessa agreed with an overly sweet smile and pointed look at Brooke's outfit, which consisted of a crème colored silk ruffled sleeveless blouse, though she couldn't see the sexy black pencil skirt with a slit up that back that had been paired with the shirt because the table obstructed the blouse was enough to dismiss the fashionista's designs as anything worth taking notice was not impressed with Brooke Davis at all."I actually just became aware of her career this morning. There was a very interesting article about her in this morning's edition of the LA Times. Perhaps you have seen it? It was very informative though the pictures they took don't do you justice at all. I think they may have captured your bad side."

"You think so? I haven't had a chance to see it yet. How did Julian look in the pictures?" Brooke wondered, grateful that Vanessa had not taken long to draw blood first. It meant she didn't have to hold back any longer. "I am sure he looked hot, I know he did in person."

"We can pick up a copy or two after." Sam promised, flashing a victorious smile at Vanessa. "You two always look so great in print together."

"I am not sure why you are so happy Sam. It is obvious that your little parent trap failed this weekend." Now it was Vanessa who smiled triumphantly as Sam's smirk turned into a glare.

"The weekend is far from over." Sam reminded her.

"Sam, be nice." Brooke warned in a tone that alerted Sam to the fact that she was treading on shaky foundation. While it was obvious that there was no love lost between Vanessa and Sam, she wasn't going to allow her daughter to be so blatantly rude and purposely antagonize Vanessa, though clearly Vanessa wasn't innocent either.

Sam sighed and leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed in front of her, still glaring fiercely at Vanessa.

"Why bother? At least she is honest. Are you going to pretend you were not a part of her plan?" Vanessa challenged.

"So tell me, is the entire world out to get you or just Sam?" Brooke rolled her eyes as she asked the question. "There was no plan, just Parents Weekend. Sam invited both Julian and I since we are her parents. We were just spending the day together." Brooke explained. "If you are planning to be a part of Julian's life, you are going to have to accept Sam as a part of Julian's life."

"Oh you are absolutely right; I do plan to be a part of Julian's life. In fact I intend to become the biggest part of it."

"Wow you already have the role of wicked step mother down pat, don't you?" Sam commented.

"I hope you enjoyed the illusion of being a family for the day because it is the last time that will ever happen. As for Sam and I, I am sure we will eventually come to an understanding of some kind; one that we can both live with." Vanessa added.

"You think so?" Sam replied. "Clearly you haven't figured out who you're dealing with yet lady."

"That works both ways," Vanessa assured her. "It would be a shame if Julian were to have to choose between us."

She felt Sam tense beside her and Brooke was livid that Sam experienced even a moment of doubt about her place in Julian's life. Brooke could handle all the bitch's insults but she crossed a line when she threatened Sam so unnecessarily. "If that is your plan, I suggest you rethink it because you are definitely overestimating your worth to Julian. Sam is the only woman in Julian's life that is permanent, everyone else is replaceable. Just ask all the flings before you."

"Including you apparently. The fact that he is here with me proves just how much I matter to him. He could be here with the two of you, but he is not! Surely even you can understand the significance of today Sam."

"You are such a bitch! It is only a matter of time before Julian sees you for what you are." Sam exclaimed focusing on the harpy in front of her rather than Brooke's confusion.

Vanessa saw Julian making his way back to the table out of the corner of her eye. She ignored Sam, knowing how important it was to have the last say in this situation. "I suppose I should thank you both though because up until now Julian seemed to be holding back. Clearly that isn't the case anymore since your little plot backfired. So thank you Brooke and Sam."

Julian reappeared preventing either Brooke or Sam from responding. He immediately sensed the tension vibrating off of all three of them. He looked at each of them curiously however before he could inquire further Vanessa asked, "is our table ready, honey?"

Julian nodded his head as his gaze locked onto Brooke, recognizing the anger swimming in the depths of her eyes. They were very green, which only served to confirm his suspicions. He remembered they only turned to that striking green when she was extremely emotional.

Vanessa distracted his attention momentarily though when he felt her slip an arm around his waist and he heard her say, "great, we should get going then."

"Sure," Julian smiled. "Enjoy your breakfast ladies."

"You too," Brooke replied with a strained smile.

Sam was too pissed off to even respond to him, which caused Julian to become concerned. What the hell had he missed?

Brooke realized that Sam's lack of response was Julian's reason for lingering, so she gently shook her head silently advising him to leave her alone.

Understanding that Brooke knew best he transferred his gaze from Sam onto Brooke again knowing this would be the last time he saw her for awhile. He ignored the ache that thought caused. "Have a safe flight back to Tree Hill. Take care of yourself Brooke."

"You too Julian. It was great to see you again." She said softly, trying to bury the emotion in her voice.

That should have been Julian's cue to walk away. Instead his feet remained firmly in place as he took this last opportunity to memorize everything about Brooke. Her image was already burned into his mind but he still wanted to take the time to remember her. Saying good bye to her shouldn't be this hard. He had said it to her last night, indeed he had spent the whole night reconciling himself to that he wouldn't be crossing paths with her again for awhile. But he couldn't regret seeing her this morning. After his initial surprise had worn off, Julian had been grateful to have a few more minutes with her. He didn't want their last encounter to be the poignant one from the previous night. He wanted to be able to reminisce about her gorgeous smile with her dimples on full display as she adorably lectured him about his gift to Sam, he didn't want the tears she has been on the verge of, the ones he saw glistening in her eyes as she stood outside the taxi cab haunting him. But even now the memory of her and Sam from earlier was tainted because of the emotion he had just heard in Brooke's voice, in her eyes and the unspoken tension radiating from her. It must have been his longing for one last good memory that kept him standing in front of her; he rationalized to himself even if he wasn't sure what that would change. In the end, he would still be saying good-bye to her.

Brooke could freely admit to herself that she was not ready to say good-bye to Julian, not now and not ever. She also couldn't deny that it gave her some measure of comfort that he seemed disinclined to do so as well since he hadn't broke the intense stare they were both locked into. She could not tear her gaze away from him had someone yelled out that there was fire in the restaurant. She knew she shouldn't look at him so obviously with his girlfriend standing right next to him. She knew it was wrong but she had no control over her actions. This was going to be the last time she saw him for an unspecified amount of time and she needed to commit all of his magnificent features to memory. His was the face she was going to see in her dreams for years to come and she wanted to remember Julian as he was standing in this restaurant rather than the image of the broken man in an airport that her subconscious carried. She looked forward to the times her mind would recreate all the happy images that she had filed away from their day together on Saturday with Sam. They had shared some amazing moments and they were now among her most precious memories. She only wished she had a few more to take back with her. She wished things could be different than the reality she was facing.

Neither could say how long the look they shared lasted as everything else seemed to lose significance around them except for one another. It wasn't until Vanessa's voice broke through and shattered the moment when she said, "it was a pleasure to meet you Brooke. Bye Sammy, I am sure we will be seeing each other again soon."

Julian recovered fairly quickly and replied, "good-bye Brooke."

"Good-bye Julian." Brooke replied in return, swallowing the tears that burned her eyes.

"Bye Samson, I will call you tomorrow," Julian promised.

"Bye Julian." Sam managed to say around the burst of resentment that surged through her entire body.

Brooke and Sam watched the couple walk away with their arms wrapped around one another, while Brooke had to physically restrain Sam from launching herself at the blonde bitch's back with a hand pressed hard against her daughter's knee.

"How dare she?" Sam seethed, furious that that skank would dare to use one of Julian's nicknames while addressing her.

"Oh that bitch is good!" Brooke remarked.

"And you are just going to let her get away with it?"

"What do you want me to do Sam?"

"Anything! Just save Julian from that viper!"

"Nothing good would come of me interfering, I promise you that. Besides maybe she is not as bad as she seems."

"Are you kidding me? We're you not just sitting here with me just now?!"

"Sam, in all fairness it was two against one. She is probably just feeling a little threatened is all."

"Now you are defending her?" Sam cried incredulous.

"Of course not but she was in a very awkward situation considering the article. And she did have a very valid point."

"Which would be?"

"Julian is here with her and not us."

The conversation was brought to a momentary halt with that cruel observation. To make matters even worse, mother and daughter noticed the happy couple were being seating several tables away but still offering them a clear view of their profiles.

"They look like freaking Ken and Barbie!" Sam replied with a grimace.

"Ken and Barbie are the epitome of America's perfect couple." Brooke pointed out reasonably.

"Well they were certainly never mine."

"Did you even play with barbies?"

"Never! They terrified me with their perfect hair and perfect clothes and perfect bodies. No one is that perfect. No one should grow up thinking they have to be that perfect."

"You know I think that explains a lot about you." Brooke teased with a smile.

Sam gave her a light push. "Hey!"

They shared a small chuckle before their attention was inadvertently drawn back to Julian and his date.

"We can go now." Sam suggested quietly.

"No, unfortunately we can't. Our food hasn't even come out yet." Not that Brooke was even remotely hungry anymore but that was beside the point. "I will be damned if I give her the satisfaction of thinking she ran us off."

"Mom, I'm really sorry. I didn't know she would be here. He told me I was the only person he had ever shared this place with."

Brooke took a moment to process Sam's statement. That certainly explained the blonde's smugness earlier. "She obviously matters a lot to him then." Brooke replied, hating that it was so difficult for her that she couldn't even use her name, she had to continuously refer to Julian's girlfriend as "she".

"I don't see why. She is completely wrong for him!" Sam declared.

"That isn't for you to decide." Brooke reminded her. "Have you even tried to get to know her? Or did you just dismiss her right away?"

Sam shrugged guilty, "I have good instincts and they screamed she was no good for Julian from the moment I met her."

Brooke sighed. It was hard to reason with Sam when she got into one of her moods. She decided to put the subject on hold as their food arrived.

Brooke had lost her appetite but forced herself to eat a couple bites of everything on her plate. She was surprised that she managed to keep the food in her stomach as particular scenery in the restaurant made her nauseous. She tried to keep her focus on anything but them but her eyes and her brain didn't seem to want to cooperate as her eyes were continuously drawn back to their table. Witnessing Julian and his companion's shared laughter and smiles made her conscious of the figurative knife slipping deeper in her, the same knife she had felt earlier when she first saw Julian kissing someone else. The pain only seemed to intensify as the knife twisted with how often the two touched one another. Watching their exchanges was torture of the worst kind for Brooke as she knew that could have easily been her sitting so intimately with Julian once upon a time. That realization just tore her apart from the inside out.

Ironically the more she watched them, the more things became clearer for her.

As Brooke waited for the check she made one last attempt with Sam, who had remained pretty quiet once they began to eat. She was determined to make things easier for Julian and the best way to accomplish that was to get Sam to back of his current romantic interest. The actress may not have been who Brooke envisioned Julian to be with but that was neither here nor there. Taking into account all of the hurt she had put him through the very least she could do was get Sam to accept that Julian deserved a chance at fresh start, free of any interference or resistance from the girl whom he considered to be his daughter. "Samantha, I think your instincts might be off in this instance. Perhaps she is good for him after all." Brooke gently suggested with a slight nod in the couples direction.

Sam didn't bother to look at them, keeping her glower fixed on Brooke. "Why they hell would you even say that?" Sam asked angrily.

"Because she makes him smile Sam. In fact since they have sat down, he has barely stopped which is something you would have noticed if you weren't so stubborn. He looks really happy. Can't that be enough for you?"

"Is it enough for you?" Sam shot back.

"I no longer get a vote; I forfeited that right when I refused to move here with him." Brooke reminded her wistfully.

"His so called happiness is based on a lie. So no, that is not enough for me. He deserves more than that and certainly better than her! Vanessa isn't the person she is pretending to be around Julian. She showed us the real her in his absence. She is an actress and she knows how to play the part to get what she wants." Sam argued.

"Admittedly she crossed a line when she suggested that Julian would ever choose between the two of you. Julian would NEVER turn his back on you. But people act out of character when they feel threatened Sam. Insecurities can make us irrational causing someone to say or do things they normally wouldn't."

"She should feel threatened. She is not even half the woman you are. At least she has the sense to comprehend that much."

"You are completely missing my point, Samantha. She obviously cares about Julian; she must if she is willing to fight for him."

"You could fight for him too."

Brooke took a deep breath and tried it from another angle. "Answer me this…what kind of woman do you see Julian with?"

"You," Sam answered simply, automatically, not even having to think of her answer. "I know there is not a woman on this planet who could love him the way he deserves except you."

Brooke blinked back the tears at the strength of conviction in her daughter's voice. "That is an extremely biased opinion and I love for having it. However I think it is only making matters worse. You also need to remember all of the pain I caused Julian."

"But-,"

"No Samantha." Brooke cut her off. "You are being incredibly unfair to Julian. He has been so amazing to you over the years. Shouldn't you do something for him in return and keep an open mind about Vanessa since she is obviously important to him." Brooke was shocked to discover she could actually say the girls name without choking on it.

"I am not sure I can." Sam admitted honestly. "I have seen Julian at his happiest, when he was with you so I know when he is happy. I don't believe he is happy with that snake. He is just settling with an extremely poor imitation at that."

"Sam please," Brooke begged. "Julian knows more than anyone else what he needs and wants; only he can determine his own happiness. No one else. He is with Vanessa now and you need to respect that. He has never asked you for anything and neither have I however I am asking that you to make more of an effort with her. You owe him that much."

Sam could see how much this was killing Brooke even though she endeavored to put on a brave façade. Searching her mother's heartbroken face, Sam reluctantly nodded her head and conceded. "I promise to try for you and for Julian."

"Thank you." Brooke replied giving her a small smile.

"I do have to say this though; you've just proven once again that you are the only one who loves Julian the way he should be loved. You are willing to do anything to make sure he is happy and not everyone would do that."

"It is the very least I can do after everything that has happened with us. Now can I push my luck and ask you for one more thing?"

Sam nodded.

"Can we not talk about Julian any more for the rest of the day?"

Remorse consumed Sam knowing she was partially responsible for Brooke's misery since she orchestrated this whole run in with Julian. It was the guilt that prompted her to comply with Brooke's request. "If that is what you want."

"It is." Brooke said definitively as they gathered up their purses and walked out of the restaurant careful to avoid one certain table in the middle of the establishment.

**A/N: So I am dying to know…were you disappointed with Vanessa? With Brooke? With Julian? With Sam? With my writing of the event? I welcome any and all comments / criticisms. I hope you will share your thoughts with me. Thank you again for your time and attention to this story. It means the world to me!!! You are all are the BEST EVER!!! :D**

**I will leave you with some good news, the next chapter is almost completed and it is my favorite. I just have some fine tuning to do that hopefully will not take too long. Reminders of what is to come… Vanessa may or may not make one last appearance before all is said and done. I have an idea that I am trying to work the details out of. **

**Chapter 10: ****Sam and Julian have a heart to heart. Sam and Brooke share opposing views AGAIN.**

**Chapter 11: Vanessa?? And I wish I could tell you the rest but I am keeping that a secret. However, please feel free to leave me any guesses you may have. LOL**

**I would also like to thank a couple of my readers who I have not been able to respond to until now...  
**

**Macaroni ~ Thank you so much for all of your lovely words. I am so relieved to hear that I am not alone in my difficulties on writing for Brooke and Julian given the current state of the show. In this case, I can admit misery loves company. LOL I am happy to hear that the update made you a bit sad. I agree it could this could have been their reactions for where they are now on OTH. I hate that we are even having to deal with a broken up BJu on the show, especially with the recycled writing and the same scenes over and over with no progress being made. But then you and I have already discussed that. **** I do like that Brooke is having to break down Julian's walls. I think it really is only fair since he had to do it last time. Plus she is the one who hurt him. I promise these two are going to come to terms with things very soon. I have a bit more work to do but we are getting there :D Thank you for your reassurances on my portrayal of the characters. I try so hard to keep them as accurate as possible. Thank you for your review! It is wonderful to see you back on FF. I hope the show and lack of inspiration doesn't drive you off again! **

**Sunshine~ Thank you as always for your amazing review!!! Season 7 really has been a huge let down in regards to BJu. It breaks my heart, stifles my inspiration and makes me want to speed up my own storyline to get to the end of this misery. LOL I am all for angst on the show just not the same the same scenes and definitely not the same contrived 3****rd**** party storyline with no progression for BJu at all. That is not entertaining, imo. They had so much potential with Brooke's infertility but they just made that into nothing but a bad plot point, which still ticks me off! If they are going to take away the girls dream at least give her some material to work with. Okay dory for the rant…on to your beautiful review!!!**

**Thank you so much for all of your touching compliments. I am so thrilled that you enjoyed it!!! I am glad you approved of the length and that the tension captured your attention. I am relieved that you were not disappointed about them not kissing. I was tempted to have them kiss but ultimately it just didn't feel right because we know when BJu start kissing, they won't stop there. LOL Not with all the passion they have for one another, combined with the fact that it has been more than two years. I really do like the idea of keeping my readers in their toes though! :P**

**LOL I am glad you enjoyed Julian's lusty thoughts about Brooke. If you are bad Sunny for appreciating it, I guess that makes me very bad Angell for writing it. LOL In my mind Julian will always be weak for Brooke but in the best possible way! It is one of the things I love about Julian, he really does wear his heart on his sleeve and he would do anything for his girls! Well the season 6 Julian that I feel in love with and am keeping alive in this story. (Season 7 Julian is a contradiction for me!) I firmly believe that Brooke has to fight for Julian this time, no way around it in my mind. I am happy that you agree as well with my take and on how Julian is responding. I agree with you about Vanessa as well. While Alex may just be a roadblock to BJu, I still want to her to get as far away from BJu as possible. It was hard not to write Vanessa as Alex in this most recent update, let me tell you. LOL**

**I am so happy that my writing and perspective keeps pulling you in. That is so amazing to hear as a writer! Thank you for your reassurance that I am not a disappointment. I hope you know how much your encouragement means as well as your reviews. I always look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions to the story! Thank you as always for taking the time and for being so honest with me in your reviews. I am extremely lucky to have you as a reader, Sunny!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: This chapter was one of my favorites to write and most of it has been written for quite some time now. I tend to write out of sequence, when the inspiration strikes in my over-active mind. I really hope you like this one as much as I do! Sam is one very busy girl in this update. LOL I am very excited to hear your thoughts as we are FINALLY winding down. I am kind of sad, kind of excited about that since this is the first story I have completed that wasn't a one-shot. Thank you to all of my readers and for the generous reviews for making this story what it is!!! You are all so amazing and I am truly blessed because of you!!!**

**Disclaimer: I ****do not own anything affiliated with OTH. If I did there would be no delay in renewing the series for a season 8! LOL I am also just borrowing the title of this chapter "Learn My Lesson" by Daughtry. The title of this chapter is very important and if you read my second authors note after the chapter, you will find out why! :D All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.**

**Chapter 10: Learn My Lesson **

As promised Brooke was up early, mostly from not having been able to go to sleep, to cook Sam her favorite breakfast before her daughter left for classes. To kill time Brooke straighten up Sam's place even though they hadn't really spent much time there, she packed all of her belongings up and got ready for her business meeting regarding the Los Angeles location of Clothes Over Bros. She did her best to keep her mind occupied and off of a certain sexy producer she knew. However her efforts were not very successful considering he invaded her thoughts at least every thirty seconds it seemed. She wondered if this is what she had to look forward to for the remainder of her existence. That sentiment held no appeal for her. She was hoping that once she landed back on familiar ground that Julian wouldn't be such a focal point and she could just chalk up all of the energy she had spent thinking about him the past few days on the fact that she had been in his territory. Her heart realized that was just wishful thinking on her part but her head was anxious to test the theory anyway. She knew there was no way she would be able to eradicate him from her mind or heart, she loved him far too much and way too deeply for that. However she knew she needed to find some way to manage her feelings and reconcile the reality of things against the way she longed for them to be. To do anything else was courting misery. Despite this recent journey of self discovery Brooke was determined to not let it affect her life as much as it had this past weekend. Being in Tree Hill, surrounded by her friends and her routine would make it easier to do that. She could acknowledge that while this trip had changed her, it didn't mean it had to change the way she lived. She wasn't going to wallow in her sorrow, she would find a way to take delight in the pleasures life offered just as she always has. She understood that loving Julian was inevitable and getting over Julian was impossible but that didn't mean the world had to stop for Brooke Davis, it simply couldn't, she would not allow it to no matter how much exertion it required!

Relieved that her head was in a relatively better place than when she had began her day, Brooke made it back to the apartment just minutes before Sam arrived. She had been in the process of fixing them a light lunch when Sam walked through the door. While they ate Sam chatted about her classes and her morning encounter with Daniel. It brought Brooke immense pleasure to see her daughter so happy and knowing she was made it that much easier to return to Tree Hill without any worries about the life Sam was creating for herself. Of course that didn't stop her from missing the young girl who brought so much joy into her life, not to mention many challenges as Sam was about to prove several minutes before Brooke was preparing to leave.

Sam watched and waited nervously while Brooke completed her task of lining up her designer luggage set by the door before she handed her mother a piece of paper.

"What is this?" Brooke inquired as she opened it up.

"It's the address to Julian's office. If you leave right now, you will have time to make it there before you have to head over to the airport."

Brooke shook her head and handed it back to Sam. "No." Brooke said firmly. "I have nothing more to say to him."

"You have plenty to say to him!" Sam argued.

"No, I don't, not after yesterday." Brooke clarified.

"But you promised me yesterday morning that you would consider talking to him."

"I did, Samantha! Do you think I have thought of little else?" There was no need for Brooke to go into detail with the young girl about how much she agonized over it the night before and even most of today. "I just can't. How many times do we have to have this conversation anyway?" Brooke asked annoyed, knowing the lack of sleep was finally catching up to her. She not slept at all last night due to the fact that every time she closed her eyes she would see Julian and "her" together so she eventually gave up trying to sleep altogether. But again that was not something she felt the need to share with Sam.

"As many times as it takes until you start to make sense again," Sam persisted.

"I am, just because you don't like hearing it doesn't mean it is asinine. He is happy and that is all that I have ever wanted for him. It doesn't matter how I feel anymore."

"Don't you ever get tired of being a martyr? Can you really go back to the way things were before this weekend and you realized your true feelings? Are you seriously going to live your life as if nothing has changed?"

"Of course not! Do you think this is easy for me? I am going back to Tree Hill knowing that I am leaving a huge part of my heart behind. I am always going to love Julian, Samantha, just as I have loved him all this time but it doesn't matter anymore. Too much time has passed for us."

"You don't know that for sure though because once again you are taking the easy way out. You are making the same mistakes you did in high school by assuming that Julian knows how you feel but doesn't care and that is simply not the case. How could he when you have never once put your heart on the line for him and told him how you feel?"

It was hard for her to argue when Sam was absolutely correct. Brooke had never tried the way Julian once had all those years ago. She recalled he had tried, several times in fact, during their last few days together before she finally broke his resolved and pushed him away permanently. When she weighed her efforts against Julian's, Brooke could see how she would be found lacking both by Sam and her own estimation. She had gone back and forth in her mind about what she should do but ultimately it all came back around to her complicating his life unnecessarily, especially when he already had someone. She couldn't justify telling him years later that she loved him. In all the scenarios her mind created for her , it always ended the same, with Julian saying he had had moved beyond it and she was left with nothing but stinging rejection, much like she had suffered on Saturday night, only magnified. She figured it was best to spare both Julian and herself any more awkward and uncomfortable encounters. Of course this was rather difficult to explain to her hopeful daughter, so instead she just said, "Sam, I am sorry but you are going to have to let go of this dream."

"Apparently. If only it were as easy for me as it is for you. It must come with years of practice, right? Maybe you're right though, maybe you are not the woman for Julian after all. Love isn't something you give up, it is something you have to fight for and fight to keep but you wouldn't know anything about that since you are always so quick to give it up."

"That is not fair. You have no idea how difficult this is for me." Brooke knew Sam was purposely trying to hurt and she succeeded. Her harsh words hit their target and caused deep cuts on her already battered heart. She didn't blame her though as she knew Sam could not possibly understand the complexity of the situation or the heart ache she was experiencing with every breath she took. She prayed her daughter **NEVER** felt this kind of heart break in all her life.

Sam shrugged casually even though the emotion in her voice betrayed her. "If you say so. You're making it looking pretty damn easy to me."

Brooke shook her head, knowing she was never going to get her to understand. "I don't want to argue with you anymore about this. Can we please not end this visit on such a bad note? It's going to be a few weeks before we see one another again. Can we just agree to disagree?"

"Whatever! It's not like I really have a choice now, do I? You have made it abundantly clear that you aren't going to do anything to change the situation and I will have to accept it. However don't expect me to pretend it doesn't bother me or that this is the only way."

"I can live with that so long as you keep your opinions on the subject to yourself as of now."

Unfortunately there wasn't much to say after that. The two girls grabbed a quick coffee at a nearby Starbucks and kept to safe topics of conversation before they returned to Sam's apartment. Rather than head right out the door again like Brooke expected, Sam wandered over to her couch and sat down as she picked up a folder that Brooke hadn't noticed before. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this but since my stubbornness seems to rival yours, I would like you to take a look at these, please." Sam asked quietly as she spread several items out across the coffee table, the natural light from the sun shining through the bay living room window and onto the objects covering the surface.

Her curiosity peaked; Brooke hesitantly crossed the room to sit down on the couch next to Sam.

"Look at these." Sam instructed as she waited patiently for Brooke to study the three pictures laying face up.

The first was a picture of Brooke and Julian from the beach in which she was propped on Julian's back as the ocean waves lapped at their bare feet, both of them sporting their trademark smiles for Sam as she had taken the picture back when they had been dating. Brooke remembered that day as being an extremely fun and carefree one. It was obvious that the couple they had once been were radiant in their happiness and it made her crushed her to recall how blissful she had felt during that time. She missed being that happy and she realized know how much she had taken it for granted before. It felt like such a long time ago and yet looking at snap shot it still felt like yesterday. She forced her eyes away from the first picture to scan the rest.

The next picture was an eight by ten that consisted of two different images, the first one Brooke recognized as being taken from inside of the Ivy. She deduced that Sam must have taken it while she had conveniently excused herself to go to the restroom. Once again the picture was of the two of them smiling. Julian was flashing his infectious, flirtatious grin and Brooke was giving her infamous dimpled one in return. How could she not though since just looking at his smile right now made her want to smile? She couldn't help but admire how photogenic he was. After looking beyond his smile she noticed his eyes twinkling with mischief and she sighed. It was great to see him so content and it was even better that it was in her company. The other image that filled the glossy paper was one that Brooke remembered vividly but seeing it captured on film took her breath away. She hadn't realized how intimate the pose had been when she had first turned her body into Julian's with her hand resting on his chest as they held hands and he had his free hand securely on her waist to keep her steady during their campus tour of UCLA. There was a very sexy quality about it despite the fact that it was a candid moment caught on camera. What really drew her eyes though was the way Julian had angled his head towards her, almost as if he was going to bury his head in her hair as she whispered to him. There was no mistaking the look of longing that filled Julian eyes and it made her ache inside because of the intense vulnerability she saw on his features. She knew it was something Julian hadn't meant for her to get a glimpse of and she felt guilty about that.

Finally the last picture was one of Julian sitting with Vanessa at the Café. From the image Brooke figured that Julian must have been smiling at something Vanessa had said. To the average eye they would appear to be a happy couple. Vanessa was smiling brightly as she looked intently at Julian. Julian was smiling as well. But Brooke knew everyone of Julian's smiles and she immediately recognized that something was off in this photo compared to the others. One wouldn't notice it at first glance but since she took her time to appraise the picture, it was obvious to her that his smile appeared to be forced considering that it never reached his eyes. They lacked his usual spark; in fact as Brooke leaned in closer to inspect the picture she could only describe them as being flat, almost completely devoid of emotions. But that couldn't be right since she had witnessed the happy couple for almost an hour. Then again she hadn't been looking into his eyes as she was now. She had only seen their profiles. They claimed a picture was worth a thousand words and Brooke had so many going on in her head currently that she was inclined to agree. Could she have been wrong? Could Julian really not be as happy with Vanessa as she had thought him to be? Was it even her place to judge his happiness by a picture? Was it even fair to compare his smiles and make an assessment of his emotional well being by the photos alone? Then again could she just be seeing what she wanted to see?

As if Sam could hear her thoughts she heard her daughter commanded, "now you tell me which one Julian looks happy in."

There was no way Brooke could answer that because of the confusion that clouded her mind, so she carefully delayed answering the question and asked one of her own instead. "When did you take this one?" She pointed to the photograph of Julian and Vanessa.

"Remember when I told you I forgot something in the restaurant?"

Brooke nodded her head.

Sam shrugged indicating that was her answer as she headed towards the door to grab the handle of one of the suitcases. "You didn't respond to my question from before but I don't think it is necessary. We both know the answer." She said before she crossed over the threshold into the hallway leaving Brooke alone and starring at the pictures, her fingers tips sweeping over the images of her and Julian from brunch and from the scene of them on campus with Sam. She didn't want to feel the fluttering of hope in the pit of her stomach and in heart. It was too damn painful. It really just hurt too much and she did her best to dismiss it, to extinguish it from springing to life again.

She grabbed the two photographs of her and Julian, placed them in her carryon, then grabbed her remaining suitcase and left to go join Sam downstairs, where they exchanged an uncomfortable good-bye as Sam was still unable to accept Brooke's cowardice. If Brooke were being honest with herself she couldn't entirely blame Sam for feeling the way she did. Brooke often wished she were as brave as the rest of the world saw her to be, expected her to be but in the end she could only do what came naturally: protect her heart and make sure those she loved most were happy even at the expense of her own happiness. She just wished she could take away the disappointment Sam was currently experiencing. With a heavy heart, Brooke watched the scenery pass by thru her blurred vision caused by her burning tears on the way to the airport.

Unbeknownst to Brooke, Sam raced in her car desperate to get across town for one last attempt to save her broken family.

*************

"Well, well this is certainly a surprise Samson!" Julian greeted as soon as Sam opened his office door unannounced. His assistant knew Sam was allowed unlimited access to him, no matter what he was in the middle of. "You do remember that this is MY office, where I work?" He asked as he set aside the script he had been reading.

She gave him a "duh" look as she replied, "why else would I be here? I didn't brave five o'clock traffic because I was bored."

"Just checking since you failed to recall that my favorite spot to eat breakfast every Sunday morning was the exact same place you showed up at yesterday as well with Brooke."

Sam rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yes the purpose of my visit is just as calculated as our run in at the restaurant was. So what are you going to do, ground me?"

"Don't push it young lady!" Julian warned. "I have every right to be annoyed with you right now."

Sam sighed, knowing he had a point. She also knew that fighting with him was not going to help her cause. It was going to be difficult enough to get him to listen to her as it was. She needed to reach him before it was too late. "I am sorry." She mumbled.

Julian nodded his head, "apology accepted, so long as you tell me why."

Sam huffed out a breath as she took a seat in front of his desk. "I really wanted this weekend to be a chance for the two of you to start over again. I hoped enough time had passed for both of you to realize what everyone else has known all along, you belong together. "

"Oh Sammy!" Julian sighed. "I am sorry you are disappointed. I know things didn't work out the way you had hoped. I thought you had accepted this though. I know I have."

"But it doesn't have to be this way." She insisted stubbornly. "She gets on a plane in a little over an hour."

"I know."

"So you still have time to do something."

"Like what? What do you expect me to do?" He demanded.

"Go find her, talk to her, and tell her you love her."

"I can't." Julian shook his head.

"Why not? Is it because you don't love her anymore?" Sam challenged.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't love Brooke Davis. Loving her is always going to be a part of who I am." He admitted quietly. If there was one person in the world he could admit that to out loud, it was the girl who was a daughter to both Brooke and him.

"Then how can you just let her walk away again? Can you help me understand that please?"

"Nobody walked away the first time Sam." Brooke had shoved him out of her life he thought and she ran away from him rather than toward him but he didn't share those opinions with Sam. "Nobody is walking away this time either. Brooke is returning to the life she loves, she made her choice a long time ago."

"Maybe it isn't the one she would make now if she knew staying here and being with you was still an option." Sam replied knowing she was treading on thin ice with the delicate subject matter. She was dying to tell him how Brooke really felt about him but she didn't want to break her mother's confidence in her. That was something that Brooke needed to tell Julian. But it was killing her to keep it inside because she knew if Julian found out it would change everything. The strength of her conviction on that fact made it easy for her to practically beg him with tears in her eyes. "Please just go and talk to her."

"There isn't anything left to say Sammy. Brooke and I said good-bye when she left my place Saturday night. We have made our peace with the pastand we are on better terms for any events that concern you in the future, which is more than we have had the past two years. You should be happy you accomplished that much."

"I am but-,"

Julian cut her off. "This really isn't helping anyone Samson. I am asking you to let this go." She had no idea how much this conversation was making him bleed on the inside. Her words were like sharp razors cutting into old wounds and creating new ones. He should be used to the feeling by now considering how often he had felt like this in the past three days. "Please."

Sam could see than anguish in his eyes and was consumed with guilt. She knew that the two people she loved most in this world were hurting all over again and the ironic thing was they were both hurting over the same exact thing. The truly sad and ironic part of this situation was that all of their suffering could be avoided if only they were both less stubborn and more willing to take a risk and expose their heart. Unfortunately there was nothing more that could be done, not without breaking someone's trust. She had failed to reach either of them.

"Okay." She surrendered softly. She sighed in defeat, quite sure she was feeling as miserable as Brooke and Julian were, maybe even more so since she knew both of their truths.

Julian released a breath of relief. "Thank you."

"I am sorry this was so hard for you but I am not sorry I tried. I will never understand how two people who are clearly made for one another would rather live their lives in misery just to avoid taking a chance on love. It seems like such a shame to give up before you have even tried. I hope when I am lucky enough to find the kind of love that you and Brooke were blessed to find together that I will have the courage to fight for it rather than just let it slip away."

"I hope you do too Samson." He stood up from behind the desk and crossed over to stand in front of her. "In fact I know you will because you are fearless and so strong. Please don't ever change or let anyone tell you differently." He replied before pulling her up to give her a hug.

Sam held on to Julian, a man who had been her hero for as long as she had known him, the only father she had ever known, the man she had wanted to help give back his heart to since she felt partially responsible for Brooke rejecting his offer to come to LA in the first place.

As if he read her mind, he pulled back and looked at her. "I appreciate what you tired to do this past weekend but none of this is your fault. You need to stop trying to make up for something that was never your fault."

She was shocked to realize that Julian saw the main motivation behind her actions over the past weekend without her having to say anything. She was lucky to have someone other than Brooke who cared enough to see the real her, who had been there all these years to listen to her. Since he had the guts to confront her it was only fair she have to courage to confirm the truth in his theory. "But it was, had it not been for me she might have taken the chance on the two of you and moved to LA."

Julian shook his head adamantly. "The issues Brooke and I had, they had nothing to do with you. You need to let go of this guilt you feel Sam because it is entirely misplaced. I promise you that if Brooke were to ever find out that you felt this way, it would break her heart."

Sam bit her lip, knowing he was dead on with account of the whole wretched situation. "I know and I will try."

He hugged her again and replied "good. Please try really hard."

"I will." She promised. "I just wish you would try too."

"Samantha Nicole!"

"I know but I can't help it. I just don't understand how you can be so wise about some things and then seconds later be a complete moron about other things."

"Unfortunately it is a trait most guys share, so you better get used to it since you seem to be involved with one."

"I am hoping Daniel is the exception."

"I wouldn't count on that."

"You didn't like him?"

"I didn't say that. The jury is still out until I get to know him better. I liked his parents and I am sure he isn't as horrible as I originally thought. I am trying to keep an open mind since he seems to be important to you."

It was funny how his words mirrored Brooke's advice on giving Vanessa a chance. Sam was going to keep that to herself for now as she was still adjusting to her new attitude in regards to Julian's hoebag. "I will take that."

"You should since it is the best you are going to get out of me. You're my girl and no one is going to be good enough for you."

"You are impossible."

"As are you Samson." He assured her with a grin.

"So, speaking of keeping an open mind, how was your date with hoe, with Vanessa yesterday?" Sam quickly corrected her natural instinct to trash Vanessa.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not really," she admitted honestly knowing her attitude towards Vanessa was not going to change overnight, especially since she firmly believed Julian was making a mistake with her. "But I am trying."

"Why?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I promised Brooke I would try after she spent most of breakfast campaigning on your behalf. She made quite a compelling argument against why I shouldn't make things difficult for you now that you have clearly moved on and found someone who makes you happy. I finally gave in and so this is me…trying, as promised." Sam explained with a careless shrug.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that! He supposed he should have felt grateful that Brooke was paving the way for him with Sam to accept someone else in his life. There was no denying that Sam could make things difficult by not approving of anyone he was romantically interested in. When the time came for him to get serious, ideally he wanted the two most important women in his life to get along. Apparently Brooke knew of Sam's issues with Vanessa and decided to take it upon herself to intervene on his behalf. While he could appreciate her efforts, it also pissed him off because on some level he wanted Brooke to be jealous! He didn't want Brooke to be okay with him being with someone else. He wanted it to bother the hell out of her. But no by trying to smooth the way she was practically giving him her blessing to move on. He certainly didn't want Brooke fighting his battles for him either when he was more than capable of it. Besides he didn't see how it was her responsibility to make things perfect in his world when she was the one who knocked it off its axis all those years ago. If this was some twisted way that she thought she could make up for everything she was mistaken. Screw that, he thought irritably. Realizing how worked up he was getting over Brooke's theoretically thoughtful gesture; Julian forced his attention back on to Sam, who was eyeing him carefully.

"I am sure that is not easy for you. I appreciate the effort."

"You have no idea how difficult it is," she said. "I guess I should get going. I have to try to reach Brooke before she gets on the plane. We kind of got into it just before I headed over here."

"Samantha!" Julian exclaimed again forgetting his own issues with Brooke from a few seconds ago. He didn't have to ask her what the nature of the disagreement had been about, he knew with certainty that Sam had tried to persuade Brooke to do something about this situation as well. It was obvious Brooke hadn't changed her mind either. Just more evidence that he was right to do nothing, there was nothing left to fight for and hadn't been for years now. If he hadn't known it before, he did now since she was more than willing to pass him off to someone else without another thought.

"I know, I know. I am going to make it right."

"You shouldn't have started anything with her in the first place."

Sam shrugged rather than voice her disagreement since he wasn't playing with a full deck. He was missing the most vital piece of information in this whole puzzle. "I will take care of it."

"You better."

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she headed towards the door.

"We will talk later." Julian promised as he watched her leave. "I love you Samson."

She stopped at the doorway and turned to give him a smile. "I love you too, dad."

Julian was grateful that Sam had chosen to slip that in on her way out the door because he was unable to control the sudden tears that filled his eyes. Even with her introducing him as her parent on Saturday at the University, even with her confession of him being the closest person she had to a father, it still didn't prepare him for the impact of her hearing her call him dad for the very first time. He honestly had never expected her to ever call him that and he had been more than okay with it. But he hadn't realized how much it would matter to him, how it would make him feel and how much of incredible honor it was for her to do so. More than that, it was the absolute best gift he had ever received, no question. He recalled the beautiful moment when Sam first called Brooke "mom" and how that had changed Brooke's whole life in a split second, now he truly understood the magnitude that title could have on someone. It had been amazing to witness but to now have his own experience, his own moment and the fervency that filled his heart was incomparable, it was so impossible to describe or even attempt to do justice to. He never imagined that having someone call him dad could make his life feel so complete but it did all of a sudden. He hadn't comprehended that it would be so significant to him or affect him to the point that he was actually crying tears of joy. There couldn't be a better feeling on the planet than the one he was feeling right now, Julian decided. It meant the world to him that she had chosen him to be her dad in all the ways that mattered, the father of her heart. If Sam was the only daughter, the only child he ever had, he would consider that the greatest blessing life had ever bestowed upon him.

Once he finally recovered from his shocked state and began to reflect on the rest of Sam's visit, he could feel the confusion edging his newfound joy to the background. Julian returned to his desk and gathered up his things. He wasn't even going to pretend that he could concentrate on work after Sam's visit, not with all her words echoing in his head, not with an image of Brooke sitting alone in one of the terminals at LAX waiting to board a plane back to the place she called home unexpectedly dominating his mind.

Julian was immediately frustrated with the direction of his thoughts and collected some material so he could at least work from home. On his way out, he informed his assistant that he was calling it a day and to only contact him if it was an emergency. He brooded all the way to his car and as he pulled away from the studio parking lot, he hesitated at the entrance to merge into traffic. He debated with which way to turn. If he wanted the peace and comfort of his home, he needed to turn left. If he wanted to follow his heart, he should turn right. This should have been an easy decision for him; there shouldn't have been any wavering in his mind at all however he sat in the idling car until the driver behind him finally became impatient enough to blow his horn, breaking Julian out of his daze. Knowing he had run out of time Julian turned on his signal and pulled out on to the road.

**AN 2: Please don't kill me for ending it the way I did. :D I know it was kind of cruel but you have to admit it made for a really great stopping point, not to mention some good dramatic suspense. LOL So any guesses as to which way Julian turned. Did he go home? Or did he go to the airport? If you want a hint…look up the lyrics or listen to the song title of this chapter, it might give you the answer as I think the song fits Julian's perspective perfectly at the moment. I am so anxious to hear any thoughts or guesses you may have. Or even what you would like to see happen as I only have a few things figured out for the next chapter. I would like to give you what you want as my way of saying thank you for making this such an incredible journey! This is your story as much as it is mine. I have said it before but I will say it again because it is the ABSOLUTE truth…YOU are the BEST readers EVER!!!! **

**I also want to especially thank one of my readers, Babi, for giving me the idea of having Sam call Julian "dad" for the first time. I hope you like how it played out! Thank you so much for sharing the idea with me in one of your previous reviews. I loved the concept and I think you were right in that it was needed! :D Not to mention long overdue! LOL**

**Stay tuned for…The final chapter in Brooke and Julian's tortured love story!!! (WARNING: I am going to take my time with this one as I want it to be as close to perfect as I can get it for you all. I will try not to keep you waiting too long though, I promise.) I might follow up the last chapter with a possible epilogue, but I haven't decided on that just yet. Maybe you can convince me! LOL *mischievous grin* **

**As always I would like to take this time to thank a couple people who graciously left reviews for my previous chapter, that I wasn't able to respond to until now…**

**Sab ~ Please don't apologize about not reviewing, I understand how RL takes priority! I am however grateful to hear from you! I missed hearing your thoughts but again I totally understand! :D Thank you so much for your phenomenal review, it means so much to me! I miss Sam something fierce on the show as well. She had such an amazing dynamic with Brooke and Julian! It makes me so sad that she isn't a part of their lives anymore. That NEVER should have happened and I am glad for any opportunity where I can fix that! BJu are being very OOC on the show for not keeping up with her, imo. But then BJu have been very OOC for most of the season, imo and they are just now finding themselves and one another again. Sorry, I am getting off topic, anyway… Sam really is the voice of reason in this story! It is funny because when I first thought about this story I never expected her to be in this as much as she is. I love when writing just takes on a life all its own. I love that my amazing readers like you embrace everything I come up with!!! I am so happy to hear that you hate Vanessa! I do too! LOL But thank you for enjoying the way I wrote her! I think I would be sad if anyone actually liked her! LOL Yeah I could resist adding in how Julian spoils Sam. I could see him doing that. Sam has his heart and devotion! **

**Yep BJu are ridiculously stubborn! I am relieved that you don't blame Julian for wanting to leave as soon as he saw Brooke and Sam at the café, especially since he knew Vanessa was there! Brooke and Julian know Sam just as well as she knows them! That is one of the reasons why I love this family so much. Sam is so like them even if she isn't theirs biologically! It makes me so happy to know you were not disappointed by Vanessa. She really is a B*TCH! Let's just say in Julian's defense that the girl is a really good actress and they are still in the get to know one another phase, where people always put up pretenses. Not to mention that women just have better intuition! LOL Aw I am sorry that I hurt your Brulian loving heart, I really didn't mean to! Reading that made ME sad! It was hard to write as well but it was also the realistic thing to do. Plus I think on some unconscious level I like to write a tortured Brooke. LOL But I didn't mean to make YOU sad! I hope you will forgive me and I will try to make it up to you in the next chapter! ;) Yep Vanessa is a crazy, delusional B*TCH when it comes to Julian and where his loyalty lies. LOL **

**I am ecstatic to hear that you enjoyed their "good-bye". I had to let you readers know in some way that it wasn't as easy as it seems for them to walk away from one another, no matter how much they try to pretend the contrary. These two have a connection like no one else, imo!!! They are meant to be! They are the epitome of EPIC, imo!!! It was hell for Brooke to witness their display of the happy couple. It was hell to write too, let me tell you! I wanted to gag! LOL But it also made sense for Brooke to be so discouraged by seeing them together. Admittedly it also makes for good drama and angst! But I believe it is also in Brooke's character to give up after seeing them together! Knowing and seeing Vanessa makes it a reality she cannot deny even if she is wrong about them! I am glad that you can see her side of things so easily even if it is not what you want her to do. That reassures me that I am doing my job! : ) Part of Brooke's problem is she believes love is about sacrifice, she doesn't realizes that it is also about fighting for what you want. Relationships take work and if you really love someone you are willing to do whatever it takes! I agree with you though Julian is the ONLY one for her and she is the ONLY one for him!! **

**Aw, I am so delighted that you listened to the song choice and that it enhanced the reading material. It was an amazing suggestion on your part and I am thankful that you shared it with me in the first place! It is wonderful to know that my writing could affect you so much! That is beautiful praise for me! Thank you for your kind words! I am incredibly moved by your claim that this story is your favorite. That blows my mind because of all the other amazing BJu stories out there. But I am honored by your enthusiasm for this story and that fact that you are so drawn to it!!! There are not enough words to describe exactly how your review made me feel. It is deeply inspiring on every creative level there is! (FYI: It was while I was reading your review that I got the idea to add in Sam showing the photos to Brooke as "proof" of where Julian's happiness really lies in Chapter 11!!! Just thought I would share that with you as it was never originally part of my plan since this chapter has been written for months now!!! LOL) I truly appreciate you finding the time to leave me your fabulous comments! Brooke and Julian are my favorite couple to and it is a sincere pleasure for me to be able to entertain you with my interpretation of them! THANK YOU!!!!**

**Sunshine ~ LOL!!! Your review cracked me up! Your enthusiasm for this story always makes me smile!! I miss Sam and Brooke too! So much!!! What I wouldn't give to have her make another appearance on the show. *SIGH* ;( I try to incorporate as many light hearted moments as I can to balance out the angst. I don't want to get too repetitive. Sam certainly has her opinions on how things could be fixed, as my newest chapter reiterates. She is definitely caught in the middle because she knows both of them the best! LOL Poor Sam is trying so hard but Brooke and Julian are just not cooperating with her schemes. LOL You are right though, they should have talked about what happened the night before but the presence of Vanessa made that impossible. Not that they would have in any case, not with both of them in protect their hearts mode. I loved your description of how they almost got carried away the night before. LMAO!!! Yeah I really couldn't make Vanessa all that likable, I thought about it and I suppose I went the predictable route but it worked so I liked then end result and it seems all of my readers agree! :D **

**I am glad you approved of the way Brooke handled Vanessa. I agree she showed more restraint than I would have! LOL I also agree that they are both so frustrating at times. But that is why they are so much to fun to write for. I enjoyed your comparison of Brooke to Peyton, I hadn't thought of it that way but you are absolutely right. I suppose we all handle things differently and I can say I much prefer Brooke's way. : ) It seems more in her character. I also think you will like what happens next! I hope so, in any case. Thank you so much for all of your lovely compliments! I appreciate you be so willing to share your thoughts with me! I am absolutely delighted that you are so enthusiastic about this story!!! It warms my heart!!! Thank you!!!**

**Jessy ~ Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the last update as much as you did. I think I have come up with a minor scenario in which you will get a tease of Jealous!Julian. At first I wasn't sure if I could fit it in at all with what I have planned but I think I have it all worked out now. I hope so in any case because I would hate to disappoint you! If not I will definitely work it into another story. I promise these two are going to get their acts together, the question is who will do it first considering how stubborn they both are? LOL Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review. I enjoyed hearing what you thought and it is exciting to know that you are loving the story as much as you are! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long with this update. :D Thanks again!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I am sincerely sorry for how long it has taken me to update this. It was never my intention to make you all wait this long. I suffered from severe writers block and several rewrites later this is what I came up with. I have mixed feelings on it but I do hope this doesn't disappoint because I really agonized over this chapter for the longest time since I wanted it to be perfect for everyone. For waiting so patiently, it is an extra long update. WOW! What an amazing journey this has been and that is all because of you lovely readers! I can't believe it has come to an end. Thank you so very much to everyone who has taken the time to read this! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review! Every single review is an amazing gift that you have blessed me with and I hope you know how much I cherish all the words you have left for me. They are the best presents I have ever received! With that said I would like to dedicate this chapter to every single person who has been interested enough and taken the time to share their thoughts with me. This chapter is especially dedicated to: SparklingIvy, Vette89, StayBeautifulx3, Lela London, VN200, ****siriuslyblairrr,** **Koumi11, ****ashstalker, Leona,** **unspeakabledesire, kriz, lola, Jade St. Jms, sunshine, othlvr16, lilxjames, kerosene kisses, ****, -NCISxBonesXOTH-, maiqu, macaronigirl, B. Davis FTW, rosseyanna, lisa, Jessy, Justwrite Justlove, Rebecca, xXAddictedtoreadingXx, Jesshayes, Nora, floatingondamaris, ipodder, Arielle, stillwell07, OTHangles, Babi, OneTreeHillAddict, mashleigh323, :, Syrine.B, Love Me Some Julian, priss-stoner, whiters, xxnicoleexx, Robin and Marian 4ever, vpmapes11 and LostInWriting!**

**Disclaimer:** **I ****do not own anything affiliated with OTH. If I did there would be no delay in renewing the series for a season 8! LOL I am also just borrowing the title of this chapter "Realize" by Colbie Caillat. All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.**

******Italics represents a flashback scene…******

**Chapter 12: Realize**

Julian watched the dying flames flicker in the fireplace though he didn't really see them because they only served to remind him of Saturday night. Long forgotten was the script laying face down in his lap since he had given up even trying to make an effort to focus on the words of the story that played out on the pages. Instead his mind chose to concentrate on the events of the past few hours, the past 72 hours specifically. Ever since he had settled in at home for the night he had spent a significant amount of energy trying to reassure himself that everything did in fact happen for a reason and it was simply not meant to be. If it were truly meant to be he would have made it to the airport in time. Logically he knew he had done everything in his power by going to the airport after work but it was hard to accept the outcome emotionally even as he replayed all that had happened in his mind.

He hadn't known what he was going to say to Brooke as he had driven like a maniac to get to the airport. The details hadn't mattered as much as he had realized that there was something Brooke had been trying to tell him on Saturday night. The certainty that this was true was not something he could easily dismiss as it had been bothering him ever since she had left his house an emotional mess. Sam's visit to his office earlier had only confirmed his instincts and had solidified his decision to track Brooke down and give her a chance to say her piece. Sitting in his car as he had debated which way to turn he had come to the conclusion that neither of them were ever going to have any closure until they had the opportunity to say everything they wanted to. Faced with that reality, he couldn't deny that he needed to talk with Brooke. Apparently fate hadn't agreed with him though because as soon as he arrived and waited in line to purchase his ticket to Tree Hill just so he could get passed security to speak with her, the ticket agent had informed him that the airplane was just pulling away from the gate. Before she ever had a chance to offer him the next flight out, he had turned around, walked out of the airport, located his car and drove back to his home with a heavy heart. He had changed out of his work clothes and into a pair of sweats before settling in with his pile of paperwork and a bottle of wine because it rarely gave him a hangover like hard liquor did. As far as he was concerned he had earned the right to drink after the emotional roller coaster of the past few days.

Saturday in general had contained moments of heaven and hell. For most of the day he had treasured the illusion of spending the day with the only women he had ever considered building a family with. Brooke and Sam had reminded him of all that he had once dreamed over and all that he had lost. It was almost like breaking his heart all over again but he wouldn't have missed spending the day with them just to avoid that particular heartache. He knew those few hours with Brooke and Sam were going to be one of his absolute favorite memories of all time. Up until dinner he had no regrets but the events after that had been more complicated. He could have survived dinner had they just skipped the trip down memory lane; up until that point it had been a rather enjoyable experience. However, hearing Brooke's version of their time together retold in her sexy voice and with so many unidentified emotions swirling in her eyes, well that had marked the start of his own personal hell. He had always wondered how she viewed their relationship and now that he had his answer it only made things worse because it hadn't been at all what he had expected. He thought Brooke would look back on their romance as a casual fling but the depths of her eyes and the tone of her voice made it seem so much more significant to her and that had honestly surprised him. It also made him wonder, which was always dangerous territory where she was concerned. He had wanted to get up and walk away from the table when Taylor had started to offer her unsolicited advice but his love for Sam kept him firmly in his seat despite the fact that listening to Taylor go on and on about how Brooke and he should still be a couple was complete agony.

In retrospect he had truly thought that dinner would be the worst thing that could have happened to him that night since he had survived it for the most part. He should have known better, that having thoughts like that only served as a dare of sorts for fate to prove him wrong. He had been lulled into a false sense of security as he had strolled along the beach with Brooke reclaiming common ground. It had given him hope that maybe they could even share a tentative acquaintance at best given that he didn't think they could ever be share a real friendship, no matter how much a small part of him longed for that. He should have known as soon as he and Brooke realized they had been ambushed that it was only going to go downhill from there. The almost kiss had scared the hell out of him, he had been and still was so thankful that a tiny drop of water had saved him from ripping his old wounds wide open again and possibly exposing himself to even more pain. It was that incident that had prompted him to invite Vanessa to his sacred Sunday tradition which had led to another set of disastrous events that he would ponder in a few minutes.

Going over the rest of Saturday night, once again it seemed like they had been able to recover fairly quickly from the incident as he thought of the almost kiss since they had fallen back into another conversation about their parents. But it was apparent to Julian now that Brooke had just been bidding her time. He still couldn't believe how much Brooke had blindsided him when she tried to discuss what Taylor had said earlier at dinner and all the comments that had alluded to the idea of a second chance. It was the only conclusion he could draw from replaying that particular conversation in his head about a hundred times over the course of the past two days. Brooke would never know how much she got to him when she had confronted him on the fact that he had wanted her as much as she wanted him with that near kiss. He would have given anything to feel the press of her lips against his if he knew that it didn't come with such a steep price. The consequence he would have suffered for that indulgence would have had a detrimental effect on him and he had worked way too hard to keep Brooke in the past. There was no way he could allow Brooke Davis anymore power over him especially not for a night or two, which is all they would ever amount to given her commitments in Tree Hill and her limited time in LA.

Still knowing all of this in his head hadn't made it any easier to say what he thought to be his final good bye to her again especially since she had been so visibly upset despite her valiant effort to pretend otherwise. She had seemed to be barely holding it together and he had never seen her in that state before. Granted he had seen her cry on several occasions but she had never appeared as fragile to him as she had when they had been standing next to the taxi. There had been a thousand things running through his mind that he had been tempted to say but he kept it all inside knowing they would most likely change nothing. It had taken all of his will power not to say or do something, anything to erase that look on her face. It was an image that had disturbed him well into the night after he had finally reentered the house and gone to bed. That image combined with replaying the torturous discussion in his mind kept him awake, tossing and turning until just before dawn. In actuality he realized he had lost many hours of sleep over Brooke Davis since she had arrived in LA.

He had not anticipated seeing her again on Sunday, so it was a shock to his system when he had stumbled upon her seated at his favorite table at yet another of his much loved places in LA. For a moment he had been excited about the prospect of a second chance at spending some time with her to try to make things right. He had wanted the opportunity to end things on better terms than they had the previous night. However all of this hadn't prevented him from being annoyed at the fact that Sam had once again orchestrated another ambush. Then it had occurred to him fleetingly that Brooke might have been in on this little escapade as well and that only served to annoy him further. He had been relieved when he had determined that Brooke had been just as surprised as he and that had allowed him to target his irritation on Sam and not Brooke, who looked like she had suffered a long night as much as he had, which made he feel just a bit guilty about. During their banter he had forgotten all about the fact that he had brought along a breakfast companion until Sam invited him to join them.

Vanessa's arrival at the table had only made things worse and Julian had regretted the impulse to invite her, it had been an idiot move on his part to think inviting her would prove how much he was over Brooke. For her part Brooke seemed to handle everything in stride, which had made him feel worse for some reason as he could admit now that he had been hoping she would have been a little jealous of Vanessa. But he had appreciated the fact that Brooke had been civil to her and even helped keep Sam from being too rude to Vanessa. He had been anxious to put an end to the unexpected meeting and he had been very surprised when Vanessa had wanted to remain behind while he had checked on the status of their table. He had left them alone with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach but knowing there was no other way around it without making the situation any more awkward. He had returned as quickly as he could. He still didn't know what had taken place during his absence but he knew it hadn't been pleasant given the animosity that had tinged the air around them. He would have given anything to be able to ask Sam or Brooke what had happened given the way Brooke's eyes had alerted him to that fact that all was not well. Looking back on things now, he wished he would have paid more attention to Brooke's eyes as they often gave away her true inner emotions. They were the key to figuring out exactly what was going on with Brooke Davis despite the façade she tried to display.

He could admit in the quiet of his home that he had not wanted to say good-bye to Brooke again. Getting those two words past his lips had been more difficult than he had ever anticipated, especially considering he said them to her several times before but they always left an ache in his heart and yesterday had been no different. It brought him a small measure of comfort to know that Brooke seemed to suffer as much as he had. He hadn't wanted to stop looking at her and he certainly hadn't wanted to leave the table but he did because really what else could he have done? It wouldn't have been fair to anyone to join Brooke and Sam so he had reluctantly walked away from the table with Vanessa and he tried like hell to act like he was having the time of his life. So he had smiled and laughed with Vanessa. He had flirted and charmed his date, making sure his eyes never strayed to that corner table across the room where the two unforgettable brunettes sat. He had made a concerted effort to focus all of his attention on Vanessa despite the persistent feeling that he was spending time with the wrong woman. He had tried his best to ignore and had even hoped that the feelings would fade away as soon as Brooke left but it only magnified as the day wore on. Though Brooke and Sam had never walked by their table on the way out Julian had know the moment they were gone by the empty feeling he felt inside. The room felt colder in Brooke's absence, if that was even possible.

Julian had spent the rest of the day doing all of Vanessa favorite things to make up for his own internal struggle. Guilt had consumed him for all the times he thought about how wrong being with her felt, and there were many. He had compensated by being extra sweet to her but it never lessened the remorse that gripped him. However by the end of the day he had managed to influence himself into believing that these feelings could easily be dismissed, that this wasn't the true way he felt about Vanessa. How could it be when up until Friday he had thought Vanessa was the kind of girl he could possibly become serious about? They had a lot in common, she understood the demands of the entertainment industry and they had a good time together. He had considered those to be solid reasons to continue to pursue a relationship with her. None of that had changed just because he had seen Brooke and spent a few hours with her. It was completely understandable that he would be slightly confused after seeing her again though. She was the love of his life and she was the one woman who had broken his heart beyond recognition. The all consuming love he had felt for her burned him enough to leave a lasting impression, one strong enough to convince him to stay away from that kind of passionate love. If it meant he could avoid experiencing that kind of debilitating pain then he would gladly settle for another version of love, one that was built on a foundation of mutual goals, admiration and affection. He had considered what he had with Vanessa to be a good thing and he owed it to himself to see where it could go, his encounters with Brooke should not have any impact on that. She certainly shouldn't have the ability to conjure up doubts about someone he had been so certain about before she briefly reappeared in his life again. Brooke was his past and Vanessa had the potential to be his future. He had almost convinced himself of this by early Sunday evening until something very significant happened, proving that perhaps the feeling that Vanessa was all wrong for him had more validity than he realized. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment he thought back to that defining moment of clarity.

_He had been clearing off the counter for a space to prepare their dinner, when he came across the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times. After a glance to confirm he was the only occupant in the room, he quickly flipped to the society section curious to know if Brooke had indeed made the front page just as she had aspired to. Of course she did, she was Brooke Davis after all and she almost always got what she wanted. He felt a huge grin take over his features as he stared at a massive picture of Brooke kissing him on the cheek with several smaller insets of the two of them going into the restaurant and then inside the establishment as they shared lunch. Based on the visual evidence before him they did indeed seem rather cozy with one another. _

"_It's a nice picture of you, though it would be a better one had I been the woman standing next to you, kissing you on your cheek." Vanessa commented alerting Julian to the fact that he was no longer alone in the room._

_Her return eliminated any chance of him reading the headlines, let alone the entire article. Guilty, he put the newspaper down and turned to face her as he said, "I can explain."_

"_It is not necessary. I understand what happened."_

"_Really?"_

"_Of course, it is rather obvious what happened."_

_Julian stared at her confused, trying to gage her mood. She didn't appear to be mad or even annoyed as he suspected most women would be in this situation but he couldn't be certain since he didn't really known her well enough to decipher her moods or expressions yet at this point in time. "So you are not mad?"_

"_No, more like embarrassed for you. It is rather pathetic actually. I can only imagine how awkward it was for you."_

_Her statement caught him by off-guard and her reaction totally baffled him. "How so?" He asked in an effort to gain more clarity._

"_Sam trying to play match maker," Vanessa explained. _

"_What is wrong with Sam wanting to have a family?"_

"_She already has one; there is no need to get you involved."_

"_I am as involved as it gets and that is never going to change. You probably shouldn't make any judgments on a subject you know nothing about." Julian cautioned with an edge in his tone. He sincerely wanted to give her a chance to explain before he got really pissed off but her take on the situation was making it extremely challenging. _

_Vanessa must have realized that she had crossed a line because she tried to backtrack and attempt some major damage control. "Look all I am saying is it was unfair of Sam to put you in that position knowing full well that you are already seeing someone. That is behavior one should expect from a spoiled child, not a college student."_

_Julian remained silent glaring at her wondering how much deeper she was going to dig the hole she was already in. He had to bite his tongue to keep from voicing his anger as he wanted to see how much of her pretty mask was going to come off._

"_Besides I am sure her mother is perfectly capable of finding a date for herself. Even if she is not, it is not Sam's responsibility to do it for her. However her mother also shouldn't be encouraging Sam's behavior by throwing herself at you either."_

"_Let me reiterate you know nothing about Sam and Brooke, nor do you know of anything about my history with them, though I am more than happy to fill you in." He offered in a frosty tone._

"_That's not necessary, Julian. It's obvious that her childish ploy didn't work so it doesn't matter. I am here with you now and that is what counts."_

"_That is where you are wrong, it does matter and you being here is a huge mistake. You have no idea what Sam has been through in her life but that isn't even the main point. I can't be with someone who shows such an utter lack of compassion or empathy for a young girl who dreams of having her family together because that is what Brooke and I are, we are Sam's family and we are always going to be her family. So whatever you and I were doing isn't going to work for me anymore."_

"_Don't you think you are overreacting just a little? Am I not allowed to have an opinion especially when Sam makes it so obvious she doesn't approve of me?"_

"_Absolutely you are entitled to have an opinion but that doesn't mean I am going to listen to you trash the two most remarkable women I have ever known. Sam may not have approved of you but she never put on a façade, can you say the same?" Julian challenged. _

"_You are really going to let an eighteen year old run your life?" Vanessa scoffed. "I guess you are not the man I thought you were."_

"_Don't try to blame Sam for your own shortcomings. I would have found out you weren't the woman I wanted you to be eventually, Sam just accelerated the process." He should have known that Vanessa couldn't even come close to comparing to Brooke Davis, let alone be enough of a woman to erase her memory but there was no need to mention that, what he had already said was sufficient so long as he knew that particular truth._

"_Are you sure this is what you really want?"_

"_There is no point in wasting either of our time if there is no future." Julian said with as much conviction as he was capable of. He wanted to leave no room for her to doubt that he meant those words. _

_Vanessa quickly gathered her things and headed for the door. Julian was grateful that she had met him here this morning since that meant he wouldn't have to endure an awkward drive to drop her off. As he watched her walk to the door he figured he should feel something other than the relief that had settled over him but oddly that was all he felt._

_She turned to face him as she opened the door. "You know how small of a circle we run in, should I be worried?"_

_He knew what she was really asking. Of course she would be concerned about her true love, her career. This also proved that she didn't really know him at all if she even had to allude to the fact that he might sabotage her future in acting. "You can relax I am not the type of guy who is going to try and ruin your career in the entertainment industry. It's not my style." He could have added that he didn't care enough to bother had it been his style but he didn't see the necessity for being that cruel. That wasn't his way either._

_Vanessa gave him one last smile. "Tell Sam I said congratulations, her plan worked after all. Good-bye Julian."_

_Julian nodded his head in farewell, aware that aside from the relief he felt absolutely nothing as she closed the door in her wake. He wished the same could be said of the woman who had left him the night before. He remembered the ache that was too intense to ignore inside his chest as he had watched Brooke walk out the door after their discussion the previous night. _

Even now after replaying his last encounter with Vanessa in his mind he still felt nothing but relief. He only wished he could say the same of his feelings for Brooke. Brooke had recently been a part of his life for a very short time and yet somehow she had managed to leave a huge gap in his life. Again. As Vanessa had walked away Julian had felt no desire to say anything to stop her. That hadn't been the case with Brooke, no he had almost choked with the effort not to ask her to stay. The door had barely shut behind Vanessa and he had practically forgotten about her. However it had been extremely torturous to watch Brooke leave in her cab and he had spent the night obsessing over her departure. He should be missing Vanessa but it was Brooke that he was missing terribly. Brooke was the person he longed to see, to talk to, to be with in every way that mattered, not the woman he had been dating for several weeks now. As clichéd as it seemed from the moment he laid eyes on Brooke again, it was as if his life went from black and white into gorgeous Technicolor. Everything in his world seemed brighter and better all of a sudden. He could recognize it now because it seemed in her absence, all the color had dimmed and he was just left with the shades of grey. For three gloriously frustrating days Julian had actually felt like he was living his life rather than just going through the motions. There was no denying it had been a roller coaster of emotions but he wasn't sure he could give up the sense of revitalization she infused in him. No other woman, past or present has ever had the effect on him that Brooke Davis does. That had to mean something; he just had to figure out if it was enough to take the risk again.

Closing his eyes momentarily and more open to the possibility that what he was searching for was right at the tip of his fingers, well within in his reach now he searched his mind for the missing piece. It was as if he were in the editing room, splicing all the frames together to form the final product. Just like in the editing process when something wasn't quite right in a scene Julian paused to focus on pin pointing what that was. With his years of training he possessed the ability to block out any unnecessary images and zoom in on the important pieces of the picture or in this case reminiscence. He quickly opened his eyes again as he suddenly knew just what he needed to look at to find his answers.His mind kept recalling two very similar but specific scenes both of which were engraved in his memory with vivid clarity. The first was of Brooke saying good-bye to him in the airport in Tree Hill and then the one in his living room where he refused to talk about revisiting the past using those ridiculous movie analogies. He remembered the first because of the indescribable pain of feeling his heart break so completely though that wasn't what he wanted to bring to the forefront of his mind. He forced himself to focus on the image of Brooke's face but more importantly her eyes, aside from the sadness of his image reflected back at him, he could see the regret and excuses in her green eyes and that was when he had cut off anything she had been about to say once he had realized she and Sam would not be joining him.

Searing that into his mind, he turned his attention to evoking the more recent memory of Brooke Davis. It wasn't so hard to do since their confrontation had taken place right in this very room, the setting allowed for Julian to spotlight on Brooke's image once again. He brought to mind the breathtaking sadness and vulnerabilities that had marked every feature on her beautiful face and he immediately recognized that she was heartbroken, almost as much as he had been at the airport. But that couldn't be possible, could it? Julian had been devastated because it was obvious that Brooke didn't return his love, so why would Brooke have a mirrored expression of that devastation years later when he refused to delve into a conversation about their past feelings. Closing his eyes briefly and then reopening them, he shut out the annoying question and pushed beyond Brooke's face to once again focus in on her stormy green eyes and what he found there made his heart ache in a way it hadn't in years with something he hadn't felt since the day he left Tree Hill. He was experiencing hope for the first time since he had sat waiting for Brooke to appear in the small town airport so long ago. Swimming past the pain reflected in her mesmerizing green eyes, he identified that secrets had been swirling in the depth, secrets she had been all too ready to tell if only he had given her the chance, if only he taken the time to listen.

Twin urges of curiosity and regret consumed him with an intensity that made it feel as if the walls of his very spacious and open house was closing in on him. It certainly didn't help that regardless of if his eyes were opened or closed he still saw Brooke Davis standing in his living room, trying to reach him in a way she never had before. Frustrated for the lost opportunity now and the wonder of what she had wanted to say to him, Julian tossed the script on to his table with enough force that it slid across the surface and fell on to the floor on the other side. He didn't bother to pick it up though since it wasn't as if he had spent any time working on it. In addition to all of the memories of Brooke Davis, he had the words of Sam's earlier visit to his office taking up space and encouraging him to go after Brooke. Julian figured it was just a matter time before he did something incredibly stupid, like catch the next plane to Tree Hill and force Brooke to tell him everything she had wanted to the other night, the things he was convinced that Sam knew as well. There was no way Sam would plead for him to go after Brooke if she didn't have something vital to share with him, Sam would not set Julian up for that kind of heart break again. It was crazy how his life had gotten so complicated in a matter of days. Thinking about it this much was just making it worse he realized_**.**_

Suddenly exhaustedfrom brooding and wanting to purge all thoughts of the woman who haunted his mind and home now it seemed, Julian decided some hard physical exertion might be just what he needed. Well that and he was desperate for some fresh air. It didn't matter that it was almost eleven at night. He figured a run might do him some good; it might benefit him to actually succeed in having a good night rests as well if he wore himself out the way he was anticipating. He was willing to try anything to obliterate the illusion of suffocating if he continued to remain in the lingering presence of Brooke Davis' memory from her visit in his house. He quickly threw on a pair of running shoes that resided by the front door, not bothering with a tee shirt despite the chill in the late night air of fall. He planned to work up a sweat so there was no point in dirtying a shirt. After grabbing his keys and iPod he made his way outside and practically tripped over the object occupying the top step of his walkway. His could swear his heart stopped beating in his chest at the sight before him. He was almost afraid that his mind had finally fractured and lost touch with reality since Brooke Davis was supposed to be 30,000 feet in the air on a plane that should have been more than halfway back to the only she place she had ever called home rather than sitting in front of his house.

If Brooke had known that Julian was in the midst of doubting his sanity she would have reassured him that he wasn't seeing things, that she was indeed sitting in front of his door trying to gather the courage to knock. But she couldn't have known what he was thinking because she had yet to acknowledge his presence even though she had heard him exit his house. She knew she should explain to him about how she had never actually made it to her flight. As soon as she had pulled up in front of LAX, she hadn't been able to convince herself to get out of the car so she had instructed the cab driver to continue driving around with no specific destination in mind. It hadn't felt right leaving, not with so much left unresolved. While she had made up with Sam, she knew there was someone else she had yet to make things right with and she couldn't leave until she did so. She had spent hours being driven around, staring at the pictures Sam had provided as she tried to figure out what to do before she had finally given the cab driver Julian's address. Though she didn't even have a clear plan of action, Brooke did determine that she needed to find a way to force Julian to listen to her whether he wanted to or not. This brought her to the reason why she was currently camped out in front of his house at such a late hour, certainly not one fit for an uninvited guest.

"I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't be here." She said quietly though she refused to turn around and meet his gaze, for fear of what might be there. She was hoping the dark of the night would give her the answers she so desperately sought and maybe even provide a shield of protection, not allowing him to see too deeply inside her.

Hearing her voice reassured him it was fairly safe to assume she was real. Relieved his mind was still functioning properly and curious about the nature of her unannounced visit, he wearily sat down beside her as he asked "what **are** you doing here?"

Still uncertain how to proceed Brooke sighed but offered no further explanation as she tried to make sense of all the words tumbling around inside her head. She tried to focus on the echo of the waves crashing in the distance, willing the sound to calm her racing heart and bring a measure of peace for what she was about to do.

Once it became obvious Brooke wasn't going to answer his inquiry he spoke again hoping to encourage her to talk, knowing on some level she must want to if she was here. "It must be important if you missed your flight back to Tree Hill," he reasoned quietly.

This was so much harder than she thought it would be. She hadn't expected him to be so willing to listen and she hadn't expected him to be so close to her as she revealed the secret in her heart. Perhaps she should have expected it though since Julian had a way of always throwing her off balance. It was one of the many things that set him apart from any guy she had ever known. Before she lost her nerve she took a deep breath as she finally turned her head to look into his chocolate brown eyes and let it all spill out. "I couldn't leave here without telling you something I should have said all those years ago. I love you Julian Baker and I have since before you left Tree Hill. I realize it is too late for us, that you have moved on and I really am happy for you." She insisted despite the crack in her voice that betrayed her anguish as she tried to convince him of the sincerity of her assurance. It was so hard to say those words to him because even though she truly wanted his happiness, it was extremely painful to think of him being with someone else, being happy with someone who wasn't her. She fought back the tears that threatened, resolute in her fortitude to tell him everything. "Part of me thinks I should have kept this to myself but another part wanted you to know. You said someday I would be able to let someone in and you were right, I just realized it too late but I did love you, I have always loved you , I do love you, I was just too stupid and stubborn and scared to admit it but I really do love you! So much!"

It appeared as if Julian were rendered frozen next to her in response to her words, his features revealing absolutely nothing to her though she couldn't blame him for that. She imagined she had surprised him and while it was difficult Brooke remained quiet trying to give him some time to process, for him to say something…anything. The atmosphere was filled with an awkward, heavy silence as time slowly passed but it was nothing she hadn't expected. She honestly had not thought her revelation would change anything between them; she just needed for him to know how much he meant to her, then, now and for as long as she lived. She had selfishly confessed what was in her heart and now it was time to go before she completely fell apart. When she had reached the limit on her patience the silence was interrupted by the sound of her voice as she said, "I am going to go now. Just know that my deepest regret in life is that someday came too late." She leaned over and kissed him on his stubbly cheek, lingering for way too long, unaware that a tear had fallen from her eye the moment her lips had touched him and transferred itself on to his skin as she struggled to find the strength to finally, permanently let him go. As she pulled away she whispered, "good-bye Julian Baker." Unable to look at him any longer she stood up on her unsteady feet and quickly walked around him and towards her cab.

She was halfway down the driveway when she eventually heard him speak as he called out to her, "Brooke wait."

Brooke immediately halted her steps however unlike the other night, those words didn't inspire hope just trepidation. She waited for him to continue with her back turned trying to conceal the tears streaming steadily down her face now.

But Julian was having none of that. He refused to have this conversation with her back. He took the necessary steps until he was standing directly behind her. He knew she heard him in back of her yet she still wouldn't turn to face him, so he did it for her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "I never called you stupid."

"You should have because it is true. I was so stupid and careless with you. That is something that I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life."

He sighed deeply as he buried his fingers in the chocolate locks of her hair at the base of her neck**.** He barely caught the groan that threatened to sneak past his lips as he registered how silky her hair still felt against his fingertips. "Would you like to come in?"

"Just like that?" She whispered in disbelief, stunned at the feel of his hands in her hair, at his invitation. She was so tempted to melt into him but she wasn't sure he would welcome her quite that much. This was certainly a start, more of one than she had ever dreamed of and she wasn't going to ruin it by pushing him too far, too fast.

"Just like that." He confirmed because honestly the heart break in her eyes was devastating him. "It sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Unless of course you want to continue this out here and give the taxi driver a show?" Julian teased reminding Brooke that they were not alone and trying to lighten the intensity between them.

"My meter is still running so don't mind me. Besides I am always up for watching a good show to help pass the time," answered an unfamiliar voice.

Neither Brooke nor Julian had realized the cab driver could hear them due to the fact that he had rolled down his window at some point during their exchange.

"I bet you are." Julian muttered finally shifting his gaze from Brooke to the cab driver whom Julian could only describe as creepy looking. As soon as he did so his blood began to heat noticing the leering looks the driver was giving Brooke's spectacular ass. That was completely unacceptable, not to mention utterly disrespectful and it totally pissed him off.

Julian gave the guy a fierce glare though he directed his inquiry to Brooke without looking at her. "Is your luggage in the trunk?"

"Yes but my purse and carry on are in the backseat." Brooke answered in confusion at the sudden shift in Julian's demeanor and question.

Without another word Julian gently grabbed a hold of Brooke's arm and steered her back up the pathway and into his house.

"I will be right back." He replied before she watched him run up the stairs to his bedroom she assumed, only to return not even a minute later with a several hundred dollar bills in his hand.

He walked passed her and back out the front door without saying anything and she turned to watch him curiously as he retrieved her things before he threw the cash at the driver through his open window. "We will not need your services anymore. If the lady" Julian paused giving strong emphasis on the last word before he continued on with, "needs to go anywhere else tonight I will be taking her."

Brooke quickly stood back from the doorway as Julian stormed back into the house and slammed the door behind him after placing her things at her feet. She silently observed him cross the room running his hands through his hair causing it to stick up adorably in different directions. She knew it was a habit of his when he was nervous or frustrated. Unfortunately she couldn't figure out which one he was more at the moment. He eventually settled enough to lean back against an arm of the sofa, giving her an intense stare.

All she knew for certain was that currently she was a bundle of nerves as she tried to process this unexpected turn of events. Her stomach was in knots and fluttering all at once as she prepared to give him full disclosure about her true feelings and the depths to which she felt for him. Not wanting to test him too much she softly began to confide in him. "I have never told anyone this until now but after you first left, when I should have been working on my new designs, I used to spend hours at the store staring at your letterman's jacket that I made for you. Sometimes I would even wear it just so I could feel close to you. It was only then that I would allow myself to think about how different things could have been had I just said yes to the idea of moving Sam and I here when you asked me to. Or if I had asked you to stay with us."

Julian's head continued to spin with her words. In all of his dreams of the woman standing in front of him, never had he imagined her leaving herself so open and exposed to him. She was killing him with her vulnerability, with the broken beauty radiating off of her in her fragility. But he was extremely grateful that she was initiating this conversation so willingly. He couldn't help but ask, "why didn't you? You had to know I would have."

"This is exactly why I couldn't. Everything between us just happened so fast and my feelings for you were so intense that I didn't know how to handle them, what to do with them. It had been such a long time since I felt so out of control of my emotions. You scared me on so many levels Julian. When you first told me you loved me, I panicked because I wasn't expecting that from you, what we shared shouldn't have lasted beyond the making of your film. I panicked because you were offering me something that I used to dream about. I was terrified to believe in love again, to believe in you. It was easier to convince myself that you didn't really mean it. It was too soon for you to have fallen in love with me. It wasn't until I saw you at the airport and you realized that Sam and I weren't coming with you that I knew how wrong I had been about you and what you felt for me. As long as I live I will never forget the look on your face and it killed me to know I was the reason for all of your pain. It broke my heart when I realized how real your love had been and how much I had hurt you. I desperately wanted to say something to fix it but I didn't know what because I was so scared of screwing it all up or waiting for you to fall out of love with me."

Her confession was like a wrecking ball demolishing every single barrier he had built to shield his once shattered heart. "That would have been impossible. I wish you would have given me the chance to prove you wrong." He said emotionally, no matter how much he struggled to remain calm and keep his emotions in check, it was difficult because her words were bringing it all back to him, all the pain he had felt. All the love he had felt for her and all the love he still felt for her. It was overwhelming. It was breaking him. The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, the words she used, the way she was baring all of her emotions and insecurities to him while holding nothing back, this was a side of Brooke Davis he had never seen before. It seemed futile to try to defend himself against her as she was reaching a place inside of him that inspired him to want to answer her in the same manner, even if it went against every protective instinct he possessed.

"I wish I had too. I wish a lot of things where you are concerned but none of that really matters now. These are my mistakes that I have to learn to live with. I'm sorry that I didn't have enough faith in you or in what we had but I'm glad you have found someone. I hope she can trust you more than I did and I hope she deserves you. I'm sorry to have barged in on you unannounced and I appreciate you giving me the time to share a few things with you. I am just going to call Sam and have her come get me now."

"So that's it?" Julian challenged softly in direct contrast to the unexpected anger boiling inside of him at her defeat. Could she really give up so easily he wondered after such a heart-felt declaration?

Brooke raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean. What else is there?"

"Unbelievable," he muttered shaking his head in disbelief. "After everything you just said to me, you are going to just leave? Just return to your life in Tree Hill?" He demanded not caring any longer that his voice was betraying his level of frustration. He couldn't recall a time where she had pissed him off more than she was at this exact moment. How the hell could she claim to love him and yet be so anxious to leave him after dismantling his life with her revelation? This was exactly the reason why he should be fighting like hell to keep the walls he had built firmly in place.

"What else can I do Julian? I have spent all day building up my courage to tell you how I feel about you knowing it is not going to change anything between us. The best ending I came up with is that you would listen to me and now you have. I understand that you have moved on just like I knew you would, like you should have."

"You don't know anything at all!" Julian exclaimed bitterly. "I wish I could move on but loving you makes that damn near impossible. You want to know what else you can do. Staying here and fighting for what we could have would be an excellent start. We really have to work on building your faith in me and I don't necessarily think doing that long distance is the best way to accomplish that."

"What are you saying Julian? What about Vanessa?" She had to ask for clarification before the hope that threatened to devour her got any stronger. She preferred to have no hope rather than suffer the aching disappoint she had from Saturday night.

Julian took several deep calming breaths before he answered. "I am saying that I broke it off with Vanessa yesterday. I am in love with you Brooke Davis! I never stopped loving you even though I tried to. You have no idea how hard I tried! You are the only woman who owns my heart and you are the only one who ever could. You just have to share it with Sam. Do you think you can handle that? Are you ready for "someday" to begin right now? Are you finally ready to make your own love story and take a chance with me?"

Brooke nodded her head as tears of happiness brimmed in her eyes, causing his gorgeous face to blur. She took a moment to savor those words as she had never expected to hear him say he loved her, not after the mess she had made all those years ago. Despite the hope bursting inside her heart she forced herself to say, "I want that more than anything but I just don't understand how can you be so forgiving after all that I put you through?"

"What other choice do I really have? I don't want to spend every day of the rest of my life missing you the way I have the past 874 days. It hasn't been easy without you. I know we have a lot to figure out with your life in Tree Hill and mine here and Sam but I believe we can make this work, as long as you are willing to try."

"I promise you I am."

"Are you sure? You were ready to walk out the door just minutes ago." Julian reminded her, still bothered by how easily she had been ready to walk away.

"Because I thought you were falling in love with someone else." Brooke argued in her defense.

"It still shouldn't have been so easy for you."

"Easy? It was going to tear my heart apart, shatter it beyond recognition. Thinking about you with her made it hard to breathe; it hurt so much, Julian."

"Good!" Julian replied with a smirk before turning serious again. "No more running Brooke. No more giving up on us."

"No more running. I am not ever going to give up on us again. I swear."

"Neither will I," Julian promised.

"So did you really count the days?" Brooke asked in shock, this whole encounter surpassing her expectations. She couldn't remember ever feeling so much happiness that it all seemed surreal.

Julian nodded. "I did. Isn't that what people do when they are in prison or hell? They count the days of their confinement or the days until their freedom."

His words brought tears to her eyes again. "I am so sorry! I have wasted so much time."

"So let's not waste anymore. Please come over here."

Knowing how symbolic it was that she be the first to close the distance between them, Brooke quickly crossed to the other side of the room where Julian stood. She barely had time to stop moving before he wrapped his arms securely around her waist and lifted her small frame up off the floor as he embraced her. She buried her head in his shoulder, holding on to him tightly as her tears fell onto his bare skin. Julian waited patiently for her sobs to subside. Her tears were killing him even if they were bittersweet rather than tears of sadness. He comforted her as best he could by squeezing her even closer if that were physically possible. While she slowly calmed down Julian took the time to bask in the elation at knowing that Brooke loved him, had loved him all along and was dedicated to making this work. The feelings the woman in his arms inspired in him were indescribable and he hoped he never lost them. Julian decided that this had to be the best day of his entire life. First with Sam calling him dad for the first time and then having Brooke declare her love for him, he knew no other day in his life could possibly compare. Both of his girls had given him two precious miracles and he had never felt so blessed. Any dreams he may have had of a day like today couldn't possibly measure up to the reality thanks to the amazing women in his life.

Realizing that Brooke had been quiet for several minutes now, Julian gently set her back on her feet and leaned back, immediately becoming absorbed with her eyes. The joy that filled her features took his own happiness to a new high and he was positive it was only going to get better from here. Knowing that there was only one more thing that prevented this reunion from being perfect, Julian angled in to eliminate the distance between their lips to make it official. Brooke closed her eyes in anticipation the second she saw his head descending towards her. As soon as his soft lips made contact with her own, she couldn't hold back the quiet moan that slipped past her lips to land against his own. Her reaction caused Julian to pull her closer into him as his mouth gently rubbed against hers until she parted them enough for his bottom lip to slip in between hers. No words were needed as they both seemed to be of one accord, to savor the contact for as long as they could considering how long it had been since they had last kissed.

Eventually the slow, sensual kisses became less satisfying as their hunger for one another grew from a slow burn to an all out blaze. Julian's tongue made a slow sweep against Brooke's soft, full lips and she immediately opened her mouth to grant him access so she could stroke her own against his. As their tongues massaged and playfully entangled with one another, their passion ignited a deeper demand for more causing Brooke's hands to grip the back of Julian's head firmly while Julian's hands began to roam restlessly from her long dark locks, down her elegant back and stopping only when he gripped her amazing ass. Still keeping their lips locked together Julian slowly walked them backwards until her back was met with the wall and Brooke took full advantage of the new solid support so she could lift herself up and wrap her legs around his waist with the help of Julian's hands on her butt. It finally registered to Julian that things were intensifying between them as he recognized how difficult it had become to breathe as they hadn't really stopped kissing since the instant their lips touched. He had forgotten how easy it was to become so lost in Brooke Davis, to lose all sense of reason. Knowing he had to slow things down before he had his way with her against the wall in his living room, Julian reluctantly drew his head away from her just enough to allow them a small break for some much needed air.

If it hadn't been for the fact that he was struggling to breathe and the very real weight of her in his arms he was sure this would have been just a dream, it was just so miraculous to him that she was actually here, that she actually gave him her heart and accepted the deep love he had for her. It was still so surreal to him and it was more incredible than he ever could have imagined in his head or in any movie scenes he could have possibly shot. Releasing a sigh of contentment Julian whispered,"it looks like we are rewriting our ending after all."

"But is it a rewrite or a sequel?" Brooke inquired with her signature dimpled smile as her labored breathing was becoming relatively normal once again. "I mean the first one wasn't all bad, right?"

"Up until the moment you showed up at the airport without Sam I wouldn't have changed a thing. After that I think we both made some mistakes but I like to think that we took away some valuable lessons during our time apart. The most important for me being, how much it sucks not to have you in my life."

"I would agree with that." She said with another smile, it seemed impossible to stop really because she was feeling so incredibly happy. Unable to resist any longer she pulled his head down to hers to capture his lips with her own. She kissed him until they were both breathless once again. She was still smiling when he pulled away for the second time.

He took great pleasure in the fact that she couldn't seem to stop smiling. It only added to the joy he was feeling and made it difficult for him not to smile as well. He wanted this feeling to last for the both of them.

Tracing her fingers along his jaw line she asked, her voice full of wonder, "can it really be this easy? I mean I tell you I love you and you say you love me and are willing to take a chance on me. On us."

Turning his head he placed a kiss in her palm before answering, "I have always been ready Brooke. I just thought it wasn't what you wanted."

"A life with you is all I will ever want. It just took me a long while to see past the insecurities and realize it. But I am so tired of being afraid. You know Sam was right. She told me on Friday that all I had to do was tell you I loved you and the rest would work itself out."

Julian smirked. "I'm not really surprised. Samson always has been smarter than us when it came to our relationship."

"Perhaps we should listen to her more often."

"Maybe but can we keep that little fact to ourselves though? She will never let us live it down if she knew." Julian complained.

Brooke laughed, "my lips are sealed."

"Are you sure about that?" Julian teased in a low whisper as he leaned in for another kiss effectively sealing her lips with his.

Before things could escalate though Julian released the hold he had on her ass and moved back enough to allow her legs to reach the floor again. Brooke moaned at the loss of contact and he was tempted to give in to the need to be with her right then but he was determined to give them both a night to remember after all they had gone through to get here. There would be plenty of other nights where they could lose themselves in one another up against the wall but tonight would not be one of them. Tonight he planned for them to drive one another out of their minds with hours of bliss in the comfort of his king sized bed upstairs. It was nothing less than they deserved and he had no intention of rushing things with her no matter how much their bodies were demanding it. With some very sexy and wicked ideas assaulting his mind, Julian grabbed her hand and began to lead her to the stairs so he could show her the bedroom she had yet to see.

They didn't get very far though because Brooke's phone started to ring with Sam's personalized tone. "I have got to get this, it is Sam." Brooke explained as she dropped his hand and rushed over to where her purse lay on top of her luggage near to the door.

Julian couldn't help but smirk as he commented sarcastically, "she always has had impeccable timing."

Brooke giggled softly as she pressed the appropriate button on her cell to engage the conversation. "Hi Sam!"

"Are you still annoyed with me? Is that why you haven't called me yet?" Sam asked by passing any greeting which confused Brooke.

"What? No, we are good." Brooke reassured her daughter as she walked back over to where Julian waited for her at the base of the staircase. To entertain himself he immediately began to play with the fingers of her free hand.

"Then why haven't you called? The website that I used to track your flight said you landed in Tree Hill 30 minutes ago."

"Oh yeah, well see there was a slight change in plans. I didn't exactly make the flight."

"Why not? You left in plenty of time to make it to the airport. Where are you? Why didn't you call me sooner? Do you need me to come get you?" Sam demanded sounding exactly like Brooke would of had the situation been reversed. Recognizing how alike they were made Brooke laugh into the phone.

She deliberately ignored all of Sam's questions, choosing to focus on the last one only as she looked directly in to Julian's loving eyes. "No thank you, honey. I am exactly where I need to be." She answered vaguely as she quickly switched the device to speaker phone, anticipating Sam's response and wanting to include Julian in on the fun.

As she carried on the conversation Brooke gave Julian a brilliant smile that took his breath away. He was mesmerized by it in a way he never had been before. It was as if he was seeing it for the very first time and in a way he was because this was the first smile Brooke had ever given that contained no reservations or hesitations and absolutely devoid of any sadness in her eyes. It was the kind of smile that he would do anything to make sure it remained on her beautiful face forever.

"OMG! You are with Julian, aren't you?" Sam squealed like a crazy fangirl who spotted her celebrity crush.

Delighted with her reaction Brooke's smile grew brighter as she replied, "yes, I am with Julian at his house!"

Sam screamed again in excitement causing both Brooke and Julian to erupt in laughter.

"Hi Samson!" Julian greeted.

"Hi Dad!" Sam greeted causing Julian's heart to swell with even more happiness. Brooke looked at him in awe at this new development and he mouthed 'later' to her even as Sam continued, "I knew it! Oh please tell me I didn't interrupt the reunion sex."

"Samantha!" Brooke exclaimed.

Julian chuckled and teased. "She is your daughter alright, with her one track mind."

His comment earned him an elbow in the rib from Brooke.

"I will let you two get back to it then but I want to hear all about it and soon. Well not the sex because that is just ew but the rest is fair game."

"Why don't you come over for breakfast tomorrow?" Julian invited. "Say around 11."

"Technically that is brunch time but sure. I will be there."

"Great! See you then." Brooke replied.

"I am really happy for the both of you."

"Thank you for not giving up on us." Brooke said trying not to get choked up all over again.

"And for forcing us to face our fears." Julian added.

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you. But you two belong together! You are Brulian; you were made for each other."

"Totally your daughter!" Julian reiterated.

"Whatever! She is relentless when she wants something just like you." Brooke pointed out.

"Face it; I am the best of both of you! But we can continue this later; I believe reunion sex is on the agenda right now. I love you mom and dad!" Sam replied for the very first time in her life to the adults that mattered most to her. It was one of the best experiences in her young life and the joy she was feeling at the thought of her parents finally being together was beyond her abilities to express.

"We love you too," Brooke and Julian replied in unison, equally emotional over the significance of the moment. For the first time, they were an official family experiencing a defining moment that most took for granted. But they could value the importance of it considering how long it had taken them to get there.

As they started to say their good nights Sam interrupted them with a question. "So how soon are we going to be changing mine and Brooke's name to Baker?"

"What? We just got back together Sam!" Brooke exclaimed astounded by her daughter's audacity.

"Let's not scare her off or anything Samson." Julian joked trying to keep things on a light note though it didn't go unnoticed by him how Brooke's fingers tightened on his and her whole body went tense beside him.

"Yeah, you are probably right." Sam said with an audible sigh.

"We haven't gotten that far into figuring out the details." Julian admitted, hoping to remind Sam that while he and Brooke had come a long way, there was still a ways to go. However Julian's focus from Sam shifted to Brooke at the shocked look she gave him upon hearing his words to Sam. Brooke's reaction made Julian want to sigh but instead he settled for a frown. "We will get back to you on that Samson. In the mean time, get some sleep and we will see you tomorrow."

Brooke hung up and played with the phone in her hand instead of meeting Julian's eyes. Marriage, she honestly didn't know what to say about that and she wished Sam had never even brought it up because it was now a pressing issue for them when moments ago it seemed like most of the hard stuff had been worked out.

Rather than wait her out, he addressed the topic, not wanting to drag it out or weigh on them. They needed to learn to communicate if they were going to make this work and he decided now was as good a time as any to begin. "So marriage, you seem surprised by the idea." He observed cautiously.

"I am a little bit, yes." Brooke confessed, finally looking him in the eyes again. "I really didn't even think it would be a serious consideration with you right now. I hoped it would be something we would work up to at some point."

Julian tried to ignore the stab of disappointment and offered her the assurance that she suddenly seemed to need. "We will take all the time you need. I already know you are it for me Brooke Davis, so I can wait as long as you need me to for you to reach the same conclusion."

"It is not that I doubt you or the fact that you are the one for me. I just don't see why there is a need to rush anything right now." She explained gently, terrified that he was going to assume she doubted their future despite her words. "Are you saying you are ready for marriage even though we just got back together not even an hour ago, regardless of the fact that we have spent the last 874 days apart?"

Julian fought back the smile that tugged at his lips at how she managed to turn his words around on him with the reminder of how much time they had spent apart. He debated on the best way to answer her, eventually deciding that actions often held more weight with Brooke than words. He pulled on their linked fingers as he said, "come here."

He led her up the stairs and in to his room where he directed her to sit on the bed while he went over to the dresser and pulled out one of the bottom drawers. He rummaged through things until he located what he was looking for though Brooke could not see what he held so tightly in his hand as she watched him make his way back to her.

He settled on both knees on the floor in front of her and reached for her left hand with his. In his right one he presented a small black velvet box that remained unopened. He kept it shut because he was still optimistic that he would one day be able to surprise her with the actual ring inside somewhere down the road. He figured the visual of the box alone would make his point well enough for now.

Brooke sucked in a deep breath as he revealed the jewelry box to her, unable to take her eyes off of it. She felt her heart start to race faster than she has ever felt it before. When she could finally swallow around the panic that settled in her throat, she asked, "how long have you had this?"

"Since the moment I realized I was in love with you."

"You bought it the day you saw me doing that ridiculous Molly Ringwald dance?" Brooke asked referring to the day Julian had declared the moment he had first fallen in love with her.

Julian shook his head. "I guess the more accurate description would be I bought this the day that I realized I didn't want to spend another day without you. Do you remember the only time I had to fly back to LA while we were shooting the movie?" He waited for Brooke to nod her head. "I had just left the studios and was taking a stroll. I had been thinking about how happy you made me and I couldn't wait to get back to Tree Hill to see your gorgeous smile. I was missing you like I had never missed anyone before. So I picked up the phone to call you and that is when I realized I had stopped in front of Tiffany's. It seemed like fate to me. Marriage had always been a consideration with you. In my mind, I always saw what we had leading up to marriage. I just thought we would have more time to work up to it and figure things out but then the movie fell through." Julian shrugged letting the rest of his sentence trail off since they were both aware of their painful history.

"And you kept the ring all this time?" She asked him even though the answer was quite obvious as evidenced by the unopened little black box.

Julian set the box on the night stand next to him as he reached up with his free hand to gently wipe the tears from Brooke's eyes. "As much as I tried to get over you, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. Maybe a part of me held on to it in the hopes that we would find our way back together one day. I don't know. All I do know is that I have always loved you Brooke Davis and I always will. You are worth every second of the wait. We will go as fast or as slow as you need to, knowing you love me is enough for me right now."

Brooke took a deep breath as she reverently stroked the side of his face. "How did I ever get so lucky?" She wondered. "We have wasted so much time and as much as I would love to say yes to a question you haven't even asked me yet, I think it would be best if we just take our time getting to know one another again without my fears being an obstacle."

"Whatever you need me to do, I will do it."

"But I don't want this to be just about me. Your needs are as important to me as much as mine are to you."

"Baby, you have given me everything I need already. First you gave me your daughter and now you have given me your heart. I know it is too soon but when you are ready you will become my wife and hopefully we can expand our family. Until then what we have right now is all that matters, it is more than I ever expected and I can wait for the rest."

"I promise not to keep you waiting too long." It was so hard to believe that she was this close, standing on the edge of making all of her dreams come true, knowing that someday soon this amazing man would give her all of her hearts desires. She just had to let him and she had no intention of denying them of their dreams for very long.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I." She vowed.

"Except when you get back on a plane to go home but we will figure that out as well. So how long can you stay? Could you stay until Friday maybe? That would give me enough time to move some things around and then I could fly back with you, spend some time in Tree Hill with you. What do you say?" Julian asked loathing the idea of being away from her after they had finally found their way back together again. He wasn't fond of the idea of a long distance relationship but he was determined to make it work. He would do whatever it took and he was confident that Brooke would as well.

"Yes, I can stay until Friday. That should hopefully give me enough time to find a place here. Then you can help me pack when you fly back with me."

It took a moment for the implication of her words to register with him. He could feel his chest expanding with anticipation as he asked, "does this mean you are moving here?"

"Now you seem surprised." Brooke commented followed by a ring of laughter.

"I am," he admitted candidly causing Brooke to laugh again.

"The two people who own my heart are here, why would I continue to stay in Tree Hill?"

"But what about the store, your friends, Jamie and Sawyer?"

"Millie can run the store in Tree Hill. I can go back and visit my friends any time I start to miss them and they can come out here and see me. I know you have to travel sometimes so I can always plan a trip back there when you are filming on location. While I will miss Jamie and Sawyer, I need to be closer to my own family. I would miss you and Sam way too much to stay on the east coast. Are you okay with me moving here?" Brooke asked suddenly anxious that she had assumed too much too soon.

"Are you kidding me? I would love for you to live here. Well not here here, well that is unless you want to. I mean, you can move in here with me if you want rather than getting a place of your own."

"Really? Are you sure? Are we moving too fast?" She wondered aloud, sharing her concerns with him.

"If we were just getting to know one another, perhaps but we were practically inseparable when we were dating before and I don't see that changing any this time around either. You make your own rules and that is one of the many things I adore about you. Besides we have a lot of time to make up for." He reminded her.

"This is true." Brooke agreed, knowing his logic made it hard to refute.

"This place is definitely big enough for the two of us. I love the idea of falling asleep and waking up with you every single day and spending all of my free time with you. Living together would certainly make that easier."

"Yes it would and I love the idea of it as well."

"Then it is settled, you're moving in with me."

"Yes!" Brooke exclaimed with a joyous smile.

"I love you Brooke Davis." Julian said as he got off his knees enough to lean forward and push his body into hers with enough force to make her fall back on to the bed before settling on top of her.

Brooke smiled as she looked up into his eyes relishing the weight of his body on hers. "I love you Julian Baker." She said before his lips claimed hers in a very heated, passionate kiss. It would be the first of many that they shared during the night as their bodies became reacquainted with one another, over and over again.

**AN: Again thank you all so much for taking this unforgettable journey with me. I hope you enjoyed it. I am still toying with the idea of an epilogue, I have a seed of an idea wanting to take root in my brain but I make no promises since it was so difficult to finish this update. You truly are the BEST readers EVER! I love you all! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted and favorited this story! Your response has warmed my heart more than you will ever know!**

**For those whose reviews I could not answer before…**

**Sab ~ I am so happy that you enjoyed the last update as much as you did. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the picture scene. I agree Sam is something else; she loves Brooke and Julian so much! I love her relationship with both of them and the belief that they belong together. I never meant for her to be such a driving force in this story but I wouldn't change anything about where my creative process has taken me. I am thrilled that so many approve. The Sam and Julian scene was one of my favorites to write as well. I hope you liked how this last chapter came out. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! I am ecstatic that you enjoy this story as much as you are. I treasure that more than I know how to express. BTW, I have another idea rolling in my head for another BJu story, so you might see one soon. **

**Sunshine ~ Your excitement for this story continues to blow me away! They really make me smile! Sam is very stubborn just as Brulian are and I just don't see her giving up on those two or her firm belief that they belong together. LOL She is relentless that is for sure. LOL I do like your term of Daddy Julian, it is cute. LOL I do hope you like the way it turned out. I always had it in mind that Brooke would be the one to go and fight for Julian but I also liked the idea of a tortured Julian who thought he missed his chance. LOL I couldn't resist writing both scenarios into the last chapter. I love Brulian angst, I am such a sucker for it! LOL I hope you are pleased with the final product! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave me such lovely and amusing reviews! I cherish every word of them so much! You are too sweet with your praise! Thank you a thousand times over! **

**Jessy ~ I am sorry I kept you waiting so long for the conclusion. I hope you enjoyed the final outcome. I agree it was Brooke's turn to fight for him and I hope I portrayed that with the latest update. Thank you for your wonderful review! I loved it!**

**Rebecca ~ Sorry I didn't update sooner for you. I didn't want to keep anyone waiting nine months for an update. **** Thank you for the review, it warms my heart to know you are enjoying this story.**

**Nora ~ Thank you so much for your compliments! I am so happy you are enjoying the story! I appreciate you taking the time to review.**

**Sunshine ~ Hi again! Thank you so much for your encouragement and excitement over my return and the continuation of the story! It means a lot to me and I am thrilled you like it so much! **


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